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Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body
NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Daily Yomiuri: Japan, U.S. ready for N-talks
2 ABQJOURNAL: Governor Not Going To North Korea
3 Xinhua: No specific date set for new round 6-party talks: FM
4 Guardian Unlimited: Kim Jong Il Wants Nuclear-Free Korea
5 US: [NukeNet] Corzine Introduces Bill to Mandate Independent
6 Final Info & Action Alert from the U.S. Campaign to Free
7 US: WorldNetDaily: U.S. defeating 'hateful ideology'
8 US: PISJ: Nuclear University program starts today
9 US: Bangornews.com: No future in nuclear -
10 New Scientist Editorial: No winners in a nuclear arms race -
11 US: Austin Review: Nuclear Corollary
12 US: Deseret News: 2 parties, Utah warm to climate issues
13 UN Atomic Watchdog Seeks To Lessen Risks Of Nuclear Terrorism, Proli
14 RFERLL: Russia courts investment
15 International News Alliance: Pressure on PM to get nuclear fuel
16 i-Newswire.com: Manchester launches UK's largest nuclear institute
17 Mos News: Russias Greenpeace Activists Protest at Moscow Nuclear Co
NUCLEAR REACTORS
18 US: NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
19 US: NRC: Tennessee Valley Authority; Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Uni
20 US: York Daily Record: PEACH BOTTOM: NRC probes shutdown -
21 US: Post-Crescent: Kewaunee nuclear plant may experience a long life
22 Transcontinental Newsnet: Nuclear plant must be fixed, says Ghiz
23 US: Bennington Banner: Yankee Atomic: Retaining wall is no threat
NUCLEAR SECURITY
24 Interfax: Russia welcomes OSCE nuclear security decision
25 RIA Novosti: Russia welcomes OSCE decision on countering radioactive
26 US: Guardian Unlimited: Chertoff to Overhaul Homeland Security
NUCLEAR SAFETY
27 US: [du-list] EEOCIPA compensation
28 US: Radioactivity over 100X background levels - Portsmouth
29 US: [NukeNet] Experts Fear Suicide Bomb Is Spreading Into the West
30 US: NRC: NRC Approves Expedited Procedures for Permitting Higher Dos
31 US: Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Dream of a nuclear nightmare
32 US: APP.COM: Evacuation plan skeptic - Do a dry run
33 US: NRC: Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impa
34 US: Cape Cod Times: Where are the KI pills?
35 US: Utne: Fallout: Reflections on the 60th Anniversary of the Trinit
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
36 Las Vegas RJ: DOE, Nevada attorneys spar over Yucca draft
37 US: Las Vegas RJ: Nuclear fuel reprocessing plan opposed
38 RIA Novosti Urgent: 16,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel stored in Russ
39 RIA Novosti: Russia already has 16,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel
40 Las Vegas SUN: Three-judge panel to rule on license application rele
41 Las Vegas SUN: Key House lawmaker's bill aims to speed Yucca
42 Baltic Times: Neighbors uneasy about radioactive waste proposal
43 Pahrump Valley Times: Bechtel SAIC changes Yucca's top leadership
44 US: NRC: Notice of Availability of Interim Staff Guidance Documents
45 US: NRC: Portland General Electric Company; Trojan Independent Spent
46
47 deepikaglobal.com: Conference to discuss reprocessing of spent nucle
48 US: Benson News Sun: Meeting slated for Apache Nitro clean up
49 US: PE.com: EPA awards water grants
50 US: U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board: Reports
51 US: AU ABC: Mining company expands NT uranium exploration.
52 KLTV: Texan measure to speed opening Nevada nuclear dump
53 Pahrump Valley Times: Yucca lobbyists on way to Nye County
54 Las Vegas SUN: New pro-Yucca group to lobby rural residents
PEACE
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
55 Platts: NRC judge: DOE's refusal to give draft LA to Nevada lacks me
56 Tri-City Herald: Benton gets $1.3 million in energy deal
57 Idaho Statesman: INL wants to double its revenue revenue, increase r
58 PISJ: Journal Views: Idaho energy policy shouldn't hijack other reso
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Daily Yomiuri: Japan, U.S. ready for N-talks
The Yomiuri Shimbun [ class=]
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi shakes hands with U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday at the Prime
Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura met with visiting U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday morning to
strengthen the two governments' resolve on the upcoming six-way
talks over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, also taking the
opportunity to set a date for talks to bring Seoul into the fold
ahead of the meeting.
Rice and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met later Tuesday and
agreed that the planned six-country talks should produce
specific results on North Korea's nuclear programs, government
officials said.
Machimura and Rice, who is on a four-nation Asian tour, met for
about 1-1/2 hours at the Foreign Ministry, where the two
reaffirmed their countries' commitment to the six-party format
to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program in a
complete, irreversible and verifiable manner.
The two nations also decided to hold director general-level
talks Thursday in Seoul to coordinate with the South Korean
government ahead of the nuclear talks.
"We need to make tangible progress at the next round [of six-way
talks]," Machimura said at a press conference following the
meeting. "We expect North Korea to respond seriously and
constructively."
Rice added the countries were expecting a favorable response
from Pyongyong at the fourth round of talks to proposals made in
June last year. She stressed the talks could not be considered
successful unless there was a strategic decision by North Korea
to scrap its nuclear weapons program.
Machimura also requested the United States' assistance in
drawing to a conclusion the issue of Japanese abducted to North
Korea.
The U.S. government supports Tokyo's efforts to deal with the
issue, Rice said.
Regarding proposed U.N. reforms, Machimura informed Rice that
Japan was eyeing July 20 for the adoption of a resolution
submitted by the Group of Four nations--Brazil, Germany, India
and Japan--outlining the expansion of the Security Council. He
also sought the United States' understanding in the matter and
will search for common ground with the permanent Security
Council member, which is cautious about the expansion.
Rice told Machimura that Security Council reform should not be
rushed into, so the issue may be given appropriate
consideration. However, she added that Washington supports
Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council.
At the meeting, the two also agreed that sweeping reforms at the
United Nations were necessary, including issues related to
building peace and human rights.
Rice demanded anew that Japan reopen its borders to U.S. beef,
which has been banned since the discovery of mad cow disease in
U.S. cattle.
The foreign minister and his U.S. counterpart agreed to try to
draw the matter to a close at the earliest possible date, taking
into consideration a discourse by the Cabinet Office's Food
Safety Commission based on conditions put forward by the Health,
Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries Ministry.
===
6-way talks seen starting July 27
Kyodo News Six-nation talks are expected to be held in Beijing
for around three days from J uly 27, government sources said
Tuesday. China, which will host the multilateral talks on
Pyongyang's nuclear programs, i s expected to notify Japan and
other countries involved after Chinese State C ouncilor Tang
Jiaxuan returns home from North Korea on Thursday, the sources s
aid. Tang, a former foreign minister, traveled to Pyongyang on
Tuesday as a special e nvoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao.
(Jul. 13, 2005)
Copyright The Yomiuri Shimbun.
*****************************************************************
2 ABQJOURNAL: Governor Not Going To North Korea
the Albuquerque Journal newspaper.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Albuquerque Journal-->
Associated Press
SANTA FE Gov. Bill Richardson's possible trip to North
Korea is on hold.
His spokesman, Billy Sparks, said Tuesday that Richardson
will not make the trip this week, but that the North Koreans
still want to talk with the governor, a former U.N. ambassador
who has dealt with that nation before.
Sparks said last week that the North Koreans had invited
Richardson and that a trip was under consideration. Sparks also
had said Richardson intends to coordinate with the Bush
administration.
Last weekend, North Korea announced it would return to
nuclear weapons negotiations on the week of July 25.
Shortly after becoming governor in 2003, Richardson met with
envoys from North Korea at the governor's mansion in Santa Fe as
diplomatic tensions escalated over North Korea's nuclear weapons
program.
In 1996, Richardson then a New Mexico congressman went
to North Korea and helped secure the release of an American
detained for three months on spy charges. Two years earlier, he
helped free a U.S. soldier whose helicopter had strayed into
North Korea.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, in an interview Tuesday with radio
reporters, said Richardson is uniquely qualified to talk with
North Korean government officials, but that the governor is
right to say he will do so only at the request of the secretary
of state.
"Clearly we can have only one foreign policy,'' said
Bingaman, D-N.M.
Copyright Albuquerque Journal
Steve@abqjournal.com
*****************************************************************
3 Xinhua: No specific date set for new round 6-party talks: FM
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2005-07-12 20:44:39
[The specific date of the new round of six-party talks on the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue has yet to be decided]
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao speaks at a
regular press conference on July 12, 2005.
BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The specific date of the new
round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue
has yet to be decided, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Liu Jianchao Tuesday.
Liu told a regular press conference that China, as the
hosting country, is keeping close consultation with relevant
parties on the date and arrangement of the forthcoming talks as
well as the possibility of a meeting among working groups before
the talks.
He noted that Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, as a
special representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao, left here
Tuesday morning on an official, goodwill visit to the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
During his stay, Tang will confer with DPRK officials on
Sino-DPRK relations and other important issues of common
concern, including the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Liu
added.
Tang will spend two days in Pyongyang and return on
Thursday, the spokesman said.
He said that the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is
very complex issue and differences exist among the relevant
parties.
"All the parties concerned should have enough patience and
fully understand the complexity of the issue, so as to remit
arduous efforts for the final solution to the issue," he said.
The DPRK announced on Saturday that it had agreed with the
United States to hold the fourth round of the six-party talks in
the week beginning July 25 after a secrete meeting between
diplomats of the two countries in Beijing.
The announcement was welcomed by all the six parties
including China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of
Korea, Russia and Japan.
The first six-party talks were launched on Aug. 27, 2003 at
theDiaoyutai State Guesthouse in downtown Beijing.
But after the third round of the talks, the DPRK decided to
suspend participation, claiming the U.S.' policy of hostility.
Copyright 2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
4 Guardian Unlimited: Kim Jong Il Wants Nuclear-Free Korea
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday July 13, 2005 7:16 PM
AP Photo XIN201
By ALEXA OLESEN
Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told a visiting
Chinese diplomat Wednesday that his country seeks a nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xinhua also paraphrased Kim as saying he hoped six-party
international talks could be an important platform for realizing
that goal. A new round of talks - involving the two Koreas, the
United States, China, Russia and Japan - are expected to begin
in Beijing the week of July 25.
Kim made his remarks to Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan,
who is on a diplomatic mission to the North as a representative
of President Hu Jintao, Xinhua said.
North Korea ``expects the next round of the talks to be held on
time and make positive progress,'' Kim was quoted as saying.
He also thanked China for its ``unremitting efforts toward the
resumption of the six-party talks,'' Xinhua said, paraphrasing
the reclusive leader.
China, the North's last major ally, has campaigned hard over the
past year to restart the disarmament negotiations. Beijing is
believed to supply North Korea with up to one-third of its food
and one-quarter of its energy needs.
The report came after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
praised a South Korean energy aid proposal that enticed North
Korea to end its 13-month boycott of the disarmament talks and
expressed hope for an end to the international standoff.
The United States and South Korea are ``very optimistic that our
joint efforts to improve the security situation on the Korean
Peninsula could indeed bear fruit, although of course there is
still much work to be done,'' Rice said during a visit to Seoul,
South Korea.
North Korea said over the weekend it would return to the nuclear
talks after being reassured by the top U.S. nuclear envoy that
Washington recognized Pyongyang's sovereignty. The North has
stayed away from the weapons negotiations since June 2004,
citing ``hostile'' U.S. policies.
A top Russian diplomat expressed optimism about the upcoming
six-party talks.
``We fully expect a degree of progress and a step forward,
compared to the agreements reached in previous meetings,''
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev told the Interfax
news agency in an interview.
Alexeyev also said Moscow had argued for offering security
guarantees to the isolated regimbruary that it had nuclear
weapons and has insisted that the nuclear standoff can only be
discussed with the United States. The North's claim has not been
verified independently.
In March, it declared that it should be treated equally as a
nuclear power, and it demanded that the six-nation talks address
the disarmament of all countries involved - including the United
States.
But last month, Kim said North Korea would return to the talks
if it received appropriate respect from Washington.
On Wednesday, Rice urged North Korea to be prepared for
substantive discussions on giving up its nuclear arms.
``The agreement of the North Koreans to come back to the talks
is a very good step but only a first step,'' she said. ``We look
forward to a strategic decision by the North Koreans to abandon
their nuclear weapons.''
On Tuesday ahead of Rice's arrival, South Korean Unification
Minister Chung Dong-young said South Korea has offered to
provide electricity to the North if it agrees to give up nuclear
weapons at the revived arms talks - a previously secret proposal
he made directly to the North Korean leader at a meeting last
month.
Rice noted Wednesday that the North's energy needs were also
addressed in a U.S. proposal made at the last nuclear talks in
June 2004 that she said ``is still on the table.'' Washington
has promised diplomatic recognition and economic aid to the
North only after it verifiably dismantles its nuclear weapons
program.
Chung said the North has not responded directly to the plan,
which also has been presented to U.S. officials.
South Korea on Tuesday also pledged to give 500,000 tons of rice
to North Korea - Seoul's largest food shipment in five years -
in aid that is not tied to the nuclear issue and that was agreed
during economic talks between the two Koreas.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
5 [NukeNet] Corzine Introduces Bill to Mandate Independent
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 14:39:44 -0700
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
image0013.gif
For Immediate
Release
Contact: Anthony Coley, 202-224-6037
Tuesday, July 12,
2005
David Wald, 973-645-5923
Corzine Introduces Bill to Mandate Independent Review of Safety and
Security at Oyster Creek
Legislation would affect relicensing at the nuclear facility
Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ) today introduced
legislation to mandate an independent review of the nations oldest nuclear
power plants before they receive a renewed license to
operate. Specifically, the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station
Relicensing Act of 2005 would require an independent assessment of the
safety and security of the Oyster Creek nuclear facility in Lacey, New
Jersey as a part of the relicensing process.
Corzines legislation, similar to a House bill authored by Representative
Jim Saxton (R-3rd Dist.), would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) to withhold relicensing of the Oyster Creek Station until the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) provides an independent assessment of
safety performance.
That assessment would examine health risks, vulnerabilities to terrorist
attack, evacuation plans, the effect of population increases, the plants
ability to store nuclear waste, safety and security records, and the impact
of a nuclear accident.
While the Oyster Creek nuclear plant is an important source of energy and
jobs for our state, there are serious environmental, health, and safety
concerns to be taken into account before the plant is relicensed,said
Corzine. Three and a half million people live within a fifty-mile radius of
this plant. It is imperative that the safety, performance and reliability
of this plant be assessed by an independent entity before it is relicensed.
Oyster Creek provides about 10 percent of New Jerseys electricity, powering
600,000 homes, and the plant provides high paying jobs for more than 450
New Jerseyans. The plant, having operated for the last 35 years, is the
oldest nuclear facility in the country.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which reviews and approves license
renewals for nuclear plants, does not subject license renewal applications
to the same thorough analysis that would be applied to a new power plants
application. In particular, a plants emergency plan is not evaluated by the
NRC when it considers a license renewal.
Not assessing emergency plans when renewing nuclear licenses is
unacceptable, plain and simple,said Corzine. We need to ensure that safety
is not sacrificed in the name of our energy needs. The health of millions
of New Jerseyans must come first. And if the plant does not meet certain
qualifications if the evacuation procedures are unsound or the facility
unsafe Oyster Creek should not receive a new license.
Corzines bill also requires National Academy of Sciences to review and
recommend what the life expectancy should be for nuclear plants designed
similarly to Oyster Creek.
-30-
Rob Sargent
Senior Energy Policy Analyst
National Association of State PIRGs and affiliated organizations
44 Winter Street
Boston, MA 02108
P- 617-747-4317
F- 617-292-4805
C- 617-312-7546
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6 Final Info & Action Alert from the U.S. Campaign to Free
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 14:39:47 -0700
Free Mordechai Vanunu - Info & Action Alert #63 - July 12, 2005
From the U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/
=============
1) Final Info & Action Alert from the U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
2) Thirteen Nobel Peace Laureates Appeal to Israeli Government to Allow
Mordechai Vanunu to Leave Israel
3) Vanunu petitions court over extension of restrictions, Ha'aretz, 7/4/05
4) Judge Rejects Vanunu Charges - Sunday Times, 5/29/05
5) Write to Mordechai Vanunu
=============
1) Final Info & Action Alert from the U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
Dear Supporters of Mordechai Vanunu,
We regret to inform you that this is the last Info & Action Alert you will
receive from the U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu.
By mutual consent of Mordechai Vanunu and campaign coordinators, the U.S.
Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu has ended.
For those of you who also receive the postal mailings of the U.S. Campaign,
we have sent out a final mailing in the post last week. Archives of the
website will be kept at www.nonviolence.org/vanunu
You can find updates at Mordechai Vanunu's new website at www.vanunu.com
In the U.K., where Vanunu's public ordeal began, the Campaign to Free
Vanunu and for a Nuclear-Free Middle East will continue to work for a
nuclear free Middle East, and support people who are imprisoned or put
under pressure for their anti-nuclear activities. Now called the Campaign
for a Nuclear-Free Middle East, you can contact them at 146 Arnold Rd., N15
4JH London, UK, (phone)+44 208 808 7568, (email)
campaign@vanunu.freeserve.co.uk and visit their website at
www.vanunu.freeserve.co.uk
Jack and Felice will return to regular publishing and editing of the
Nuclear Resister, a newsletter we began publishing in 1980 to provide
information about and support for imprisoned anti-nuclear and anti-war
activists. The Nuclear Resister will continue to report on legal
developments affecting Mordechai Vanunu as we have since 1987, along with
reports about many more prisoners of conscience. If you would like to
receive a free copy of the next issue, due out this summer, please send
your postal address to nukeresister@igc.org or the Nuclear Resister, PO Box
43383, Tucson, AZ 85733.
You can contact Mordechai Vanunu directly at the address and email address
at the bottom of this page.
We very much hope that Mordechai will soon have the total freedom he has
long deserved.
For a nuclear-free world,
Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa
=====
2) Thirteen Nobel Peace Laureates Appeal to Israeli Government to Allow
Mordechai Vanunu to Leave Israel
In l986 Mordechai Vanunu, who had worked as a technician at Israel's
secretive nuclear reactor in Dimona for 10 years, provided the Sunday Times
of London with photographs and information about Israel's nuclear weapons
program. Abducted by Israeli secret agents, he was brought to Israel,
tried in camera and convicted of treason and espionage. Sentenced to 18
years in prison, he spent the first 11 and a half of them in solitary
confinement.
Vanunu finished his sentence in April 2004, but although out of prison he
is not free. The State of Israel has imposed stringent restrictions on
his freedom, including a prohibition on speaking to non-Israeli media, and
he is banned from leaving the country.
We call on the government of Israel to lift these restrictions and allow
Mr. Vanunu to leave. Twenty years after his last day at Dimona, he cannot
possibly represent a security risk to Israel. Preventing Vanunu from
traveling does nothing for Israel's security while it tarnishes its reputation.
JOHN HUME (l998)
DAVID TRIMBLE (1998)
JODY WILLIAMS - INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES (1997)
BISHOP CARLOS FILIPE XIMENES BELO (l996)
JOSE RAMOS-HORTA (1996)
PROF. JOSEPH ROTBLAT - PUGWASH CONFERENCE SCIENCE AND WORLD AFFAIRS (1995)
RIGOBERTA MENCHU TUM (l992)
BISHOP DESMOND TUTU (l984)
ADOLFO PEREZ ESQUIVEL (1980)
BETTY WILLIAMS (l976)
MAIREAD CORRIGAN MAGUIRE (1976)
MARY ELLEN McNISH, AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE (1947)
CORA WEISS, INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUREAU (1910)
JULY, 2005
=====
3) Vanunu petitions court over extension of restrictions
By Yuval Yoaz
From Ha'aretz
Mordechai Vanunu petitioned the High Court of Justice yesterday against an
extension of the restrictions first imposed on him in April 2004, when he
was released after serving 18 years in jail for revealing details of
Israel's nuclear program.
The restrictions were initially due to be in place for one year, but
Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz and GOC Home Front Command Yair Naveh
recently approved an extension to them.
Among other things, these rules forbid Vanunu to leave the country, enter
any foreign embassy or consulate in Israel, or be found near any of the
country's land, sea or air exits; they require him to inform the
authorities 48 hours in advance if he moves house and 24 hours in advance
if he plans to leave his city of residence or stay overnight somewhere
other than at home; and the rules forbid him to talk with foreigners or
participate in Internet chat rooms.
=====
4) Judge Rejects Vanunu Charges
The Sunday Times, London
May 29, 2005
Judge rejects Vanunu charges
by Peter Hounam
A JUDGE has challenged 22 new charges leveled by Israel's justice ministry
against Mordechai Vanunu, the nuclear whistleblower.
Israeli government lawyers at a hearing last week were left trying to
salvage a case that they had hoped would put Vanunu back in jail after he
completed an 18-year sentence for leaking information about the country's
nuclear weapons programme to The Sunday Times.
The government had accused Vanunu of breaching restrictions imposed on his
release that prevented him leaving the country or talking to any foreigner.
However, one charge was rejected by Judge Yoel Tzur and the prosecutors
were told to find more evidence to support other allegations.
Michael Sfard, one of Vanunu's lawyers, said he was "very very satisfied"
with the outcome of the hearing in Jerusalem magistrates' court.
"Judge Tzur threw out a charge that Mordechai had attempted to leave Israel
when he once tried to travel to Bethlehem in the West Bank," he said.
"We had pointed out that no Israeli needs a passport or identity card to go
there and so it was not foreign territory."
Sfard said the judge had also decided that charges that Vanunu had spoken
to foreign journalists could not stand.
"He ruled that none of these amounted to maliciously breaching a legal
order, which carries a maximum sentence of two years," Sfar said.
"If they can, the prosecution now have to formulate new charges that he
violated emergency legislation, which carries only a maximum nine-month
sentence, and they have been given a month to do it."
Ernest Rodker, head of a UK campaign to free Vanunu, claimed the ruling was
a breakthrough.
"It is the first time in Vanunu's long history of persecution by the
Israeli security services that their ridiculous charges against him have
been seriously challenged," he said.
Vanunu, who since leaving jail has lived at the pilgrims' hostel of the
Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem, has told friends that he was pleased at
the outcome.
However, he reiterated his decision to continue giving interviews to the
foreign media.
-end-
==============
5) Write to Mordechai
Mordechai would love to hear from his friends and supporters. You can
write to him at:
Mordechai Vanunu
c/o Cathedral Church of St. George
20 Nablus Road
PO Box 19018
Jerusalem 91190
Israel
and email him at
=================
Felice Cohen-Joppa
Coordinator
U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
POB 43384
Tucson, AZ 85733
Phone/Fax 520-323-8697
freevanunu@mindspring.com
www.vanunu.com
*****************************************************************
7 WorldNetDaily: U.S. defeating 'hateful ideology'
WEDNESDAY JULY 13 2005
WND AT THE WHITE HOUSE
McClellan responds to question about nuclear terror attack on
America
Posted: July 13, 2005
5:00 p.m. Eastern
Editor's note: Each week, WorldNetDaily White House
correspondent Les Kinsolving asks the tough questions almost no
one else will ask. And each week, WorldNetDaily brings you the
transcripts of those dialogues with the president and his
spokesman.
By Les Kinsolving
2005 WorldNetDaily.com
At today's White House news briefing, WND asked presidential
press secretary Scott McClellan about a U.S. response to a
potential nuclear terror attack on American soil.
WND: Scott, in the event of nuclear terror on American soil, an
event that has been characterized by some, including Vice
President Cheney, as inevitable, what would the U.S. response
be? And I have a follow up.
McCLELLAN: Les, I don't tend to speculate about things, but let
me make very clear that one of our top concerns is the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and those weapons
getting into the hands of terrorists. That's why we are waging
the war on terrorism and that's why we are going to prevail in
the war on terrorism and defeat the ideology the hateful
ideology that terrorists seek to spread.
That's why we're also working to move forward on the president's
Proliferation Security Initiative. This is something we
implemented. You have more than 60 countries around the world
that are coming together to do more to interdict the
proliferation or spread of weapons of mass destruction. We are
having good cooperation on that. There are a number of ways
we're acting to address the threats of proliferation. That is
one of the highest, if not the highest priorities for this
administration, because that goes directly to protecting the
American people and protecting civilized nations around the
world.
I think, in fact, one of the things that Secretary Rumsfeld I
mean, Secretary Chertoff spoke about today to the Cabinet was
what we're doing to address the threats from bioterrorism, as
well.
WND: The Washington Times editorial page this morning published
a cartoon comparing White House correspondents to sharks. My
question, do you think that they were wrong to make this
comparison? (Laughter.)
ANOTHER REPORTER: Go ahead, Scott, let her rip.
McCLELLAN: I have a picture up in my office that everybody can
look at.
REPORTER: We'll allow you to comment.
McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Olivier.
REPORTER: Two quick ones on Iran
McCLELLAN: It may not look like it, but there's a little flesh
that's been taken out of me the past few days. (Laughter.)
REPORTER: Where?
McCLELLAN: Like I said, it may not look like it. (Laughter.) I
can assure you that it has been.
Later in the briefing, WND was afforded another question, this
one on the president's pending nomination of a Supreme Court
justice.
WND: Scott, I have a non-Rove question. One non-Rove question.
Washington's Weekly Standard reports that when they asked the
president to identify the Supreme Court justice who is his model
for what a justice should be, he said Antonin Scalia. And he
told the same thing to Tim Russert.
And my question: Does the president disagree with Justice
Scalia's strong dissent with the 5-4 majority on the Lawrence v.
Texas case?
McCLELLAN: Les, you want to refresh me on that case?
WND: That's the sodomy case.
McCLELLAN: Yes, I think we've expressed our views previously.
And in terms of this question, you're bringing it up in the
context of the nomination process. That nomination process is
moving forward. The president is having good consultations with
members of the Senate. He looks forward to continuing that
consultative
WND: But he did say Scalia
McCLELLAN: that consultative process. Yes, you have the words
that he said previously.
Les Kinsolvingis WorldNetDaily's White House correspondent and a
talk-show host for WCBM in Baltimore. His show can be heard on
the Internet at www.wcbm.com8-10 p.m. Eastern each weekday.
2005 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
*****************************************************************
8 PISJ: Nuclear University program starts today
Pocatello Idaho State Journal:
IDAHO FALLS - The first ever World Nuclear University Summer
Institute begins today with a discussion by Susan Eisenhower,
president of the Eisenhower Group, Inc.
The institute, hosted by the Idaho National Laboratory, will
bring more than 75 students from 33 different countries to Idaho
Falls for a six-week program, according to a press release.
Today's speech, which is free and open to the public and begins
at 4 p.m. at the University Place Auditorium, will focus on the
institute's theme of nuclear leadership.
Eisenhower is a member of the Secretary of Energy's Task Force
on Nuclear Energy and is a director of the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace.
The World Nuclear University Summer Institute is part of the
efforts of the new Center for Advanced Energy Studies, which was
inaugurated June 1, but won't be completed until 2010.
The CAES has about $14 million in pledged funding and its
creation was stipulated as part of the new INL contract awarded
last November.
The institute, hosted by the Idaho National Laboratory, will
bring more than 75 students from 33 different countries to Idaho
Falls for a six-week program, according to a press release.">
This document was originally published online on Wednesday, July
13, 2005
Copyright 2005 Pocatello Idaho State Journal
P O Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204-0431
*****************************************************************
9 Bangornews.com: No future in nuclear -
Staff
Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - Bangor Daily News
At long last, the energy industry's gravy train (aka The Energy
Bill) has lumbered through the Senate, hauling more than $4
billion in direct subsidies and, according to the U.S.
Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, $5.7
in production tax credits for nuclear power. Touting reactors as
the "clean energy" solution to global warming, its backers also
helped to load on unlimited taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for
up to 80 percent of the cost of nuclear and other energy plants.
However, the reality of this technology is precarious at best;
it is always just a couple of pipe breaks or operator errors
away from disaster. Despite the slick "greenhouse-gas-free"
hype, nuclear power fails the more sober economic and national
security litmus tests.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates a
three-fold increase in worldwide carbon emissions between 1997
and 2100, even with an eight-fold increase in nuclear
generation. If nuclear power replaced all coal in that scenario,
emissions still climb by more than 2.5 times. To achieve that
goal, the world would have to build at least 85 large
(1,000-megawatt) nuclear reactors every year for the next
century.
At $4 billion each (the average price of large reactors coming
on line in the 1980s and 1990s) such an undertaking would cost
trillions of dollars. The Energy Information Administration
stated in its 2005 Annual Energy Outlook that "new [nuclear]
plants are not expected to be economical."
At least one utility leader, Dominion CEO Thomas Capps, agrees:
"If you announced you were going to build a new nuclear plant,
Moody's and Standard & Poor's would assuredly drop your bonds to
junk status, hedge funds would be bumping into each other trying
to short your stock."
Indeed, last year, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services found that
"an electric utility with a nuclear exposure has weaker credit
than one without and can expect to pay more on the margin for
credit. Federal support of construction costs will do little to
change that reality. Therefore, were a utility to embark on a
new or expanded nuclear endeavor, Standard & Poor's would likely
revisit its rating on the utility."
On the other hand, prospects for combating climate change via
energy efficiency improvements and sustainable energy resources
are impressive. A 2004 study by Synapse Energy Economics found
that the United States could reduce carbon dioxide emissions
from electricity generation by more than 47 percent by 2025
compared to business as usual and meet projected electricity
demand, while saving consumers $36 billion annually.
Reactor technology is replete with historic red flags. More than
five out of every 10 federal energy research and development
dollars have fueled the nuclear power behemoth since World War
II. For that investment, we now get about 20 percent of our
electricity or 6 percent of our overall energy. Compare that
with energy conservation which received less than two of every
10 dollars but eliminates about 25 percent of our energy needs
each year and has the capacity to back out anywhere from 20
percent to 40 percent or more depending on whose numbers one
believes.
Even with the taxpayers' largess, the nuclear industry has been
bailed out at least twice by utility customers and shareholders
(first with the cancellation of more than 100 reactors in the
early 1980s and then again with more than $100 billion when
deregulation fever swept through the utility sector in the
1990s).
Regardless, the tracks have been greased for the industry's
revival by repeated renewal of the Price-Anderson Act (limited
liability for this touted "safe" technology); one-step licensing
(virtual elimination of citizen and state oversight); federal
acceptance of the liability for nuclear waste (Yucca Mountain is
a technically flawed site and made further suspect by falsified
data); and more tax breaks and rule-making favoritism than can
be listed.
To curb global warming, viable technologies must be
comparatively quickly and easily installed, and not require
massive, centralized infrastructures. Reactors coming online
since 1980 took an average of eight to 10 years to build
(normally with massive cost overruns). Worldwide, security
lapses, proliferation threats and terrorist strikes also shadow
this technology as ominous wild cards.
Consequently, as a global warming solution, nuclear power is on
a dead- end track. Before nuclear power gets its third or fourth
chance, Congress and President Bush should give a first, real
chance to a hybrid, distributed network of appropriate energy
efficiency programs and renewable energy sources (wind, solar,
biomass, geothermal). It's an energy future we can afford and
our children (and the planet) can live with.
Scott Denman is the former executive director of the Safe Energy
Communication Council. He is currently co-director of
Collaborations, a conservation and communications consulting and
training firm based in Virginia. He spends his summers in Seal
Cove. He can be reached at sdenman@earthlink.net.
Bangornews.com Staff
[Bangor Daily News logo]
*****************************************************************
10 New Scientist Editorial: No winners in a nuclear arms race -
[NewScientist.com]
14 July 2005
+ Magazine issue 2508
The global nuclear arms race remains a real and present danger,
and more countries than ever are joining in. We must stop it
before it is too late
LAST week, terrorist bombs ripped through three London
underground trains and a bus, killing more than 50 people.
Thousands more innocent people from Madrid to Bali and New York
to Baghdad have died in similar circumstances. Terrorist attacks
have become the defining global security issue of recent years.
Yet as we struggle to detect, prevent and mitigate their effects
(see "No easy way to stop tube terror"), it is worth remembering
that other threats to global peace are still with us. The
defining security issue of the late 20th century, the nuclear
arms race, remains a real and present danger (see "60 years on,
is the world any safer?").
Until recently, the Soviet Union and the US dominated the
agenda. Now many more countries are joining in, and others are
making plans to do so. Old "comforts" such as the notion of
mutually assured destruction look increasingly irrelevant, ...
The complete article is 327 words long. To continue reading this
article, subscribe to New Scientist. Get 4 issues of New
Scientist magazine and instant access to all online content for
only $4.95If you are in the UK please click here, if you
are in Australia or New Zealand please click here. PERSONAL
*****************************************************************
11 Austin Review: Nuclear Corollary
July 13, 2005
by Ken Bell
Myths often have the power to induce massive social change.
Consider what is now the dominant religious faith of the media
and political elite in America, the dogma of disastrous global
warming through human agency. Despite the mantra that no doubt
could possibly remain, no dissent could be sustained against the
“evidence”, the truth is that not one of the trinity of
terms immanent in this idol has been proven. The rhetoric grows
more intense with each passing year, at ever higher decibel
levels.
But perhaps the most intriguing consequence of the now dominant
conventional wisdom of GWTHA is the practical policy dilemma it
creates for those among its fervent converts who have yet
retained some measure of their sense of reality. If you accept
the faith, there is but one corollary you must also accept. As
James Lovelock, one of the founders of Greenpeace, declaimed
“Only nuclear power can halt global warming.”
The Economist recently examined the nuclear option in . They
discern a powerful shift in public attitudes and consequent
policies. Prospects, they suggest, have “brightened for the
nuclear industry. In Asia, which never turned against it in the
way the West did, the prospects are excellent. China already has
nine nuclear reactors, and is planning to commission a further
30. New capacity is being built or considered in India, Japan,
Taiwan and South Korea. Russia has several plants under
construction.
“Now western governments are increasingly looking anew at
nuclear energy. A few weeks ago TVO, a Finnish consortium,
started work on the first new nuclear plant to be built on
either side of the Atlantic in a decade. Pertti Simola, TVO's
chief executive, proclaims that, ‘Finland has opened the door
to a new nuclear era! Many western countries will come behind
us.’
“France’s parliament has recently given its approval for a
new nuclear plant. Guillaume Dureau of Areva, the world’s
largest nuclear supplier, captures the dizzy mood that has
overtaken vendors: ‘We are pretty convinced of a nuclear
revival and [we] need to prepare for it. We need to hire 1,000
engineers.’”
The impetus behind this renascence ? “The main reason for the
shift is climate change. As it has risen up the political
agenda, so the impetus for a nuclear revival has grown.
“More, and more respected, voices have been making the case
that nuclear energy is essential if the rate of change is to be
slowed. As a result, there is an unlikely alliance between the
nuclear industry and many environmentalists, as a growing number
of greens have come to believe that nuclear energy is the best
way to reduce carbon emissions.”
Certainly, the other “alternatives” are delusional. “Sir
David King, Tony Blair’s chief scientist, recently argued that
one further generation of nuclear power stations is needed (in
Britain at least) to buy time, in order to keep down emissions
of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, while new
carbon-free non-nuclear technologies are developed. He thinks
that renewable sources of energy are not currently up to the
task: ‘We need another generation of nuclear-fission
stations.’ Others agree. The World Nuclear Association, an
industry body, dismisses its green rivals in a recent report:
‘the potential scope for renewables contributing to the
electricity supply is very much less because the sources,
particularly solar and wind, are diffuse, intermittent and
unreliable.’”
Not that universal accord or a new consensus has yet been
achieved. “Such opinions have caused consternation among
nuclear energy’s long-standing opponents, notably Europe’s
green movement. Anti-nuclear sentiment was so strong in Germany
at the end of the 1990s that the ruling socialist-green alliance
banned new plants. Sweden was the first country to turn against
nuclear plants, in a referendum back in 1980; at the end of May
it shut down its second nuclear plant. Yet in both countries
opinion polls suggest waning public opposition to the nuclear
option. Indeed, Germany’s Christian Democrats now say they may
overturn the ban if they win the forthcoming national election.
In Finland, says TVO’s Mr Simola, concern about climate change
was the chief reason why his country pushed ahead with the new
power plant.
“In America, although the Bush administration remains hostile
to any mandatory action on slowing global warming, it is keen to
boost nuclear power. That has led some greens to take the view
that a nuclear revival is better than doing nothing much about
climate change. Leaders of respected environmental outfits such
as Environmental Defence and the World Resources Institute have
recently made positive noises about nuclear power as part of a
response to global warming.”
The Economist continues, exploring several of the key
considerations of operating expense, construction cost, waste
disposal, standardized design, and, ever so briefly,
proliferation questions, while ignoring others, such as reducing
dependency upon imported fossil fuels from nations which fund
the terror war being waged against us. All these other
dimensions are worth your perusal. But none of them is quite so
intriguing as the ironic prospect that it may be
environmentalists’ panic at their own contemporary bogeyman
which leads them to embrace their bogeyman of old.
*****************************************************************
12 Deseret News: 2 parties, Utah warm to climate issues
[deseretnews.com]
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Copyright 2005 Deseret Morning News
By Brady Snyder Deseret Morning News
SUNDANCE It's mostly a Democrat's playground here at the
three-day mayoral global warming conference known as the Sundance
Summit.
['Image']
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. energy secretary,
speaks to participants at the Sundance Summit.
Wil Tidman, Associated Press
While organizers and attendees have stressed that climate
change is a bipartisan issue, the two Republicans among 45
mayors attending the summit seem a bit out of place.
"I'm sure that there will be some who will be surprised
to find out that there are Republicans here," GOP Mayor Scott
Avedisian of Warwick, R.I., said.
After all, the big names present former Vice President
Al Gore, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Chicago Mayor Richard
Daley and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson are all
Democrats.
Given the politics, Utah which according to
presidential election tallies is the most Republican state in
the union isn't likely to be considered a global-warming hot
spot.
But a recent poll shows Utahns are sold on climate change.
The May poll found that 73 percent of Utahns think
temperatures on Earth have been rising in recent years. And most
of those who do believe in a hotter planet pin the problem on
fossil fuels, according to a Deseret Morning News/KSL TV poll
conducted by Dan Jones &Associates in May. The statewide poll
surveyed 624 people and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4
percent.
Even among Utah Republicans, 65 percent said the Earth is
getting hotter.
Robert Redford, who along with Anderson and the
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
organized the Sundance Summit, stressed that global warming has
to move beyond politics.
"The public is fed up with the bickering. They've had it
with the political bickering," he said. "This issue is way
beyond being treated like a political football."
Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory, the other Republican
mayor at the summit, said he sees much political hypocrisy on
both sides of the aisle when it comes to climate change. The
left, for instance, doesn't talk much about nuclear power as a
clean energy alternative to fossil fuels. The right, in turn,
often shies away from funding mass transit and looks to build
more roads.
Deseret Morning News graphic
"This is where I agree with Robert Redford," McCrory
said. "I think it's got to go back to the grass roots."
In the minds of McCrory and many at the summit, local
leaders and citizens will be the ones making changes that will
reduce the warming effect that burning fossil fuels has on the
environment.
Local leaders in Austin, Texas, for instance, are
pursuing a campaign to get 50 cities to place advance orders for
prototype "plug-in" hybrid cars, which use even less gasoline
than traditional hybrids. The idea is to generate so much early
demand for the cars that manufacturers will have no choice but
to produce them in mass.
Using the special hybrids will not only cut down on
gasoline consumption but will also save cities money on fuel
costs, Roger Duncan, vice president of Austin Energy, said.
And much of the conference did focus on money.
Many mayors figure if they can show how downsizing
fleets, switching car tanks to natural gas, using more
energy-efficient lights and constructing buildings according to
green design standards can save money, they will win over
potential skeptics.
Still, others noted that not everything that is good for
the environment is going to come cheap.
"I get a little worried when I hear all these people
saying we're going to save money," Cambridge, Mass., Mayor
Michael Sullivan said. "I know in some cases we're not going to
recoup the investment."
Contributing: Amelia Nielson-Stowell
E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com
2005 Deseret News Publishing Company
*****************************************************************
13 UN Atomic Watchdog Seeks To Lessen Risks Of Nuclear Terrorism, Proliferation
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:00:24 -0400
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UN ATOMIC WATCHDOG SEEKS TO LESSEN RISKS OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM, PROLIFERATION
New York, Jul 13 2005 10:00AM
In a bid to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands
of terrorists and to pre-empt weapons proliferation, the United
Nations atomic watchdog agency joined major national players today
at a three-day <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2004/fuelcycle_conference.html">meeting
in Moscow aimed at strengthening safeguards
The Agency is seeking to promote enhanced controls over sensitive
parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, in particular uranium enrichment
and plutonium reprocessing technology, UN International Atomic
Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org">IAEA) Deputy Director General
for Nuclear Energy Yuri Sokolov told the opening session of
the conference attended by representatives from Russia, the United
States, France and other countries.
The IAEA is addressing the challenges through implementing strengthened
safeguards and promoting assurances of supply of nuclear
fuel cycle services together with assurances of non-proliferation,
he added, noting that more countries are showing interest in applying
the technology safely for electricity production.
The conference, organized by the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency
(Rosatom) with IAEA cooperation, follows an IAEA-commissioned
Expert Groups report on multilateral nuclear approaches (MNA)
to the issue in February.
The study called for multilateral control of the worlds civil nuclear
fuel cycle, citing threats arising from burgeoning and alarmingly
well-organized nuclear supply networks, and from the increasing
risk of acquisition of nuclear or other radioactive materials
by terrorist and other non-State entities.
Clear formulation of MNA proposals ... would strengthen confidence
between interested participants and could promote the creation
of a reliable system of guaranteed nuclear fuel cycle services,
Mr. Sokolov said.
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May that better control
was needed over proliferation-sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel
cycle involving uranium enrichment and plutonium separation.
As experience has shown, effective control of nuclear materials
is the choke point to preventing nuclear weapons development,
he said. Without question, improving control over facilities capable
of producing weapon-usable material will go a long way towards
establishing a better margin of security.
We should be clear: there is no incompatibility between tightening
controls over the nuclear fuel cycle and expanding the use of
peaceful nuclear technology. In fact, by reducing the risks of proliferation,
we could pave the way for more widespread use of peaceful
nuclear applications.
2005-07-13 00:00:00.000
________________
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml
*****************************************************************
14 RFERLL: Russia courts investment
Thu, July 14, 2005
Issue 27-28
13.JUL.2005
Petr Slma:
St.Petersburg, RussiaRussian President Vladimir Putin received
11 of the heads of some of the largest U.S. corporations
including Citigroup, United Technologies, ConocoPhillips, IBM
and Intel at his St. Petersburg residence June 25 and told
them of his commitment to enhancing the business climate in
Russia in an effort to attract U.S. investment.
Putin said Russia has had robust economic growth for five
consecutive years and his administration is looking for ways to
facilitate ever-greater returns on foreign investment. Putin
emphasized Russian efforts to increase the extraction of Russian
oil and gas and to expand exports of those commodities to the
United States. He said that by the end of June, the energy
agencies of Russia and the United States will present a joint
report that will identify specific projects aimed at supplying
the United States with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia,
increasing oil exports and modernizing the delivery
infrastructure for oil and LNG. As a result of these measures,
the United States can import up to 50 million tons [or 300
million barrels] of Russian oil per year without any extra
investment, [which will be a] serious factor in securing the
U.S. and global economies, Reuters quoted Putin as saying.
Putin already announced earlier this month plans to supply 37
million tons of LNG over the next 20 years to North America.
A day later in St. Petersburg, Putin met with a group of leading
German companies to urge them also to be more active in
investing in the Russian economy. Germany is a key economic
partner for Russia and is responsible for 10 percent of its
foreign trade, totaling some $27 billion ( 22 billion). Putin
said that although there are currently some 3,500 joint
Russian-German enterprises, economic indicators suggest there
should be an expansion of economic ties. Putin said Russia's
gold and currency reserves this month reached $150 billion,
foreign debt has decreased over the last six years from 60 to 18
percent of gross national product, and by 2007 Russia will have
complete currency liberalization, without restrictions on the
movement of capital. On energy cooperation, Putin mentioned the
joint construction of a northern European gas pipeline, which
envisages an unprecedented exchange of assets between Gazprom
and Germany's BASF. There are also talks about a joint project
involving the biggest German gas concern, Ruhrgas. Putin said he
had high hopes for German-Russian cooperation also in the
aerospace industry, especially in creating a major aviation
company based on the Airbus and Irkut company models. Such a
company could produce both civil and military planes and be a
major player on the international market, Putin said.
Speaking to reporters after Putin's meetings with the German
business leaders, Trade and Economic Development Minister German
Gref said that Russia would not oppose the purchase by Germanys
Siemens of a stake in power-plant producer Silovye Mashiny, the
only Russian maker of power units that are also used in nuclear
submarines, Russian media reported. Silovye Mashiny is part of
the industrial-financial group Interros. In April, the Federal
Antimonopoly Service vetoed a proposal by Siemens to purchase a
majority stake in Silovye Mashiny following ardent protests
within the Duma and from nationalist groups. According to Gref,
Russia can sell shares in Silovye Mashiny to Siemens, but not a
controlling block of shares. Meanwhile, Putin told the German
businessmen that Russia will formulate clear rules for foreign
investors in areas where there are restrictions related to
national security.
This is an edited version of an article for Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty, www.rferl.org. Reprinted with permission.
Copyright (c) 2005, RFE/RL, Inc.
Go backBy: CBW, 04. 07. 2005 | Commentaries: 0 | Insert
2004 Stanford, a. s. with all rights reserved.
Web site: |
--> Advertising
*****************************************************************
15 International News Alliance: Pressure on PM to get nuclear fuel
inadaily.com:
India | Seema Mustafa
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will leave for
Washington this weekend with the promise of "big, big things"
from US President George W. Bush, is under pressure from the
energy and security establishment here to ensure the withdrawal
of US sanctions on allowing India to shop for nuclear fuel and
nuclear power reactors in the international market. This,
experts here pointed out, would be a visible symbol of a
successful bilateral visit.
India has been working hard to persuade the US to drop its
sanctions and restrictions on the Nuclear Suppliers Group so
that the member nations are able to sell not just nuclear fuel,
but at least six nuclear power reactors required by India to
answer its burgeoning energy needs.
The Tarapur plant is currently down to its last stock of fuel
from Russia, which has expressed its inability to continue the
supply because of the restrictions imposed by the US on India.
It is imperative that the Americans now withdraw the sanctions,
according to informed sources here, to give teeth to their
promise of civilian nuclear cooperation with India.
Despite high-level consultations, there is still no indication
from Washington that the Bush administration is willing to lift
sanctions to allow India to shop for nuclear fuel and nuclear
power reactors in the international market. India requires both
urgently so that it can meet the energy needs necessary for a
steady seven per cent growth rate.
The Americans are aware of this, but have yet to make up their
mind to lift the sanctions and allow India free access to the
civilian nuclear market. Analyst Bharat Karnad was of the view
that the US could be willing to sell its Westinghouse 1000 power
reactors to India but warns against this as it would make India
dependent on Washington for the fuel to keep these running.
Mr Brahma Chellaney of the Centre for Policy Research, however,
was categorical that the US had not shed its reservations, and
was not going to offer nuclear reactors to India at this stage,
or in the near future. The Tarapur plant has limited fuel and
the government has no idea at present where the next
stock will come from, or whether it will come at all. All
security and nuclear experts were agreed that if the Americans
were at all serious about cooperation on nuclear civilian
energy, "they will lift the sanctions and allow us to shop for
the fuel." Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia, along with the US energy secretary, Dr Samuel W.
Bodman, launched the US-India Energy Dialogue on May 31. The
working groups under this have met with "dialogue and action on
issues associated with civilian uses of nuclear energy and its
control" being one of the items on the agenda.
The Manmohan Singh government has taken several steps to assure
the US and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) of being a
responsible nuclear power. It passed the Weapons of Mass
Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful
Bodies) Bill, 2005. It also allowed a US delegation access to
its nuclear installations to check the status of nuclear
safeguards.
However, till date there is no indication that the NSG is biting
the bait and is prepared to review its decision to keep India
out on the periphery. Russia recently expressed its inability to
sell fuel to India because of the NSG restrictions. This was
after the WMD Bill was passed.
Security experts, however, caution against placing all nuclear
civilian energy eggs in the US basket. It is pointed out that
Washington terminated its nuclear cooperation agreement with
India in 1980 as a result of which fuel and spare parts for the
Tarapur atomic power station, set up as turnkey project by the
US-based General Electric, was stopped initially. India has
subsequently got fuel from France, China and Russia. The fuel
supply has again been stopped because of the US sanctions.
Tarapur now faces a serious fuel crunch.
2005 The Asian Age
Copyright 2005 The International News Alliance.
*****************************************************************
16 i-Newswire.com: Manchester launches UK's largest nuclear institute
(12 July, 2005)
A century after Ernest Rutherford embarked on his research at
The University of Manchester leading to the eventual splitting
of the atom, the University is set to take another pioneering
step towards the advancement of nuclear technology, teaching and
research.
(I-Newswire) - On July 18th the University will launch The
Dalton Nuclear Institute with the aim of it becoming one of the
world's elite centres for nuclear teaching and research. The
Institute will be the largest of its kind in the UK with plans
more than 100 academics, research staff and students.
Professor Richard Clegg, who has come from industry as the
Director of Science at British Nuclear Fuels ( BNFL ), has been
appointed as the Director of the Institute and will be
responsible for leading Dalton and helping it to achieve its
vision.
"By 2015 if people want to do nuclear research they will have
the choice to go to two or three leading Universities in the
world and Manchester will be one of them," says Professor Clegg.
"Manchester has everything on its side including history,
geography and expertise. Rutherford carried out his research
here, the northwest has the UK's largest nuclear community and
we have the expertise in the University that will make it
happen."
The Institute will be based within the University's Faculty of
Engineering and Physical Sciences but will also draw on
expertise from faculties like medicine and humanities across the
University. It will consist of seven major research groups and
will underpin the training and education of the UK's future
graduates for the nuclear sector.
"Dalton will be the hub for all nuclear research and education
at Manchester and will also act as a bridge to other world class
research organisations around the world, accessing international
know-how and technology for the benefit of industry and the UK,"
says Professor Clegg.
The Institute will boast some of the UK's most advanced
university based nuclear research facilities including the
recently refurbished and re-equipped Centre for Radiochemistry
Research supported by Nexia Solutions and the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority ( NDA ). Through forming partnerships
with industry, the Institute will also gain access to specialist
facilities broadening the types of research it can undertake.
Dalton's research will encompass electricity generation, fuel
cycles, waste treatment and disposal, decommissioning, policy
and regulation. It will also tie its research into advancing
areas such as nuclear medicine and fusion.
Dalton has been a leading player in the establishment of NTEC -
a consortium of UK Higher Education Institutions offering a
portfolio of postgraduate education in nuclear science and
technology - and hosts its coordination centre.
Nationally, Dalton will link with the government, industry,
sector groups and learned societies to address the nuclear
skills shortfall, identified in a number of studies including
the DTI's report on Radiological Skills and the HSE's Report on
Higher Education in Nuclear Training.
Internationally, Dalton will support educational initiatives
such as the World Nuclear University and become involved in
collaborative advanced reactor development programmes such as
Generation IV - ensuring the UK maintains access to
international know-how, technology advances and teaching
material.
Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor of The
University of Manchester, said: "The launch of the Dalton
Nuclear Institute is a major development in the University of
Manchester's long and proud history. Nuclear power will
undoubtedly play a significant role in addressing the needs of
future energy production and it is vital that the University is
at the forefront of the UK's nuclear research and education
agenda.
"Given time, I strongly believe that Dalton will not only prove
to be a flagship for research excellence in the UK, but will
also provide the nuclear industry with a rich source of
highly-trained graduates from a University with an exemplary
reputation for pioneering research in this field stretching back
more than a hundred years."
The Dalton Nuclear Institute will be launched at the Royal
Academy of Engineering, London, on the evening of July 18th. If
you would like to attend this event please contact Simon Hunter.
For further information:
Simon Hunter, Media Relations Officer, telephone: 0161
2758387/07717881569
Notes to Editors:
The Heads of the seven research groups are: Professor Francis R
Livens ( Radiochemistry ), Professor Graham Thompson ( Reactor
Technology and Decommissioning Engineering ), Professor David
Vaughan ( Environmental ), Professor Greg Butler ( Policy and
Regulation ), Professor Andrew Sherry ( Materials Performance ),
Professor Terry Jones ( Medical ) and Dr Jon Billowes (Physics).
New professorial level appointments are also being planned.
Professor Richard Clegg has worked in the nuclear industry for
BNFL for over twenty years. He has held a number of positions
within BNFL, including Head of the Corporate Research Laboratory
and Director of Science.
Pictures of Richard Clegg available on request.
The Dalton Nuclear Institute is supported by the North West
Development Agency and BNFL.
The University of Manchester is a member of the World Nuclear
University and the NEPTUNO European network for nuclear training.
Manchester offers an MSc ( including PG Dip., PG Cert. ) in
Nuclear Engineering.
NTEC will deliver an innovative M.Sc and CPD programme in Nuclear
Science & Technology, receiving its first students in September
2005.
The University of Manchester has received an investment of 20m
over in this the past five years from industry ( BNFL ),
Research Councils and University Research Alliances.
The Nuclear and Radiological Skills Study was published by the
Department of Trade and Industry in December 2002. The Dalton
Nuclear Institute's claim to be the largest Nuclear Institute in
the UK is based on number of academic and research staff.
Nobel Prize Winner Ernest Rutherford carried out his research
into the transmutation of matter at The University of
Manchester. Later in 1908 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Chemistry.
John Dalton together with Manchester businessmen and
industrialists established the Mechanics' Institute in 1824, the
precursor to The University of Manchester, to ensure that workers
could learn the basic principles of science. In 1803 Dalton
famously unveiled his Atomic Theory which was the basis for all
subsequent chemical investigations and marked the end for
Alchemy.
Last updated: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 09:53:14 BST
If you have questions regarding information in these press
release contact the company listed below. I-Newswire.com is a
press release service and not the author of this press release.
The information that is on or available through this site is for
informational purposes only and speaks only as of the particular
date or dates of that information. As some companies / PR
Agencies submit their press releases once per week/month or
quarter, make sure check the official company website for
accurate release dates as our site displays the I-Newswire.com
distribution date only. We do not guarantee the accuracy or
completeness of information on or available through this site,
and we are not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in that
information or for actions taken in reliance on that information.
Published on: 2005-07-12
*****************************************************************
17 Mos News: Russias Greenpeace Activists Protest at Moscow Nuclear Conference -
NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM
IAEA Logo / Image by MosNews.com
Created: 13.07.2005 16:01 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:01 MSK
MosNews
On Wednesday, activists of Russias Greenpeace movement gathered
before the International Trade Center in downtown Moscow, where
a nuclear summit will take place, with banners calling on
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) not to turn Russia
into a nuclear dump.
Nuclear energy officials and scientists from around the globe
are meeting in Moscow today to discuss possible strategies for
keeping nuclear material out of the hands of terrorists.
More than 200 nuclear experts, regulatory bodies, and
international organizations from 18 countries are expected to
attend the three-day conference, which is co-sponsored by
Russias nuclear energy body and the IAEA.
Prior to the start of the conference, Russias nuclear chief
Alexander Rumyantsev called for nuclear security to be stepped
up following last weeks terrorist bombings in London.
Write us: info@mosnews.com
Copyright 2004 MOSNEWS.COM
*****************************************************************
18 NRC: Sunshine Act Meeting
FR Doc 05-13722
[Federal Register: July 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 132)]
[Notices] [Page 40068] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12jy05-103]
agency holding the meetings: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
date: Weeks of July 11, 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15, 2005.
place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland.
status: Public and Closed.
matters to be considered: Week of July 11, 2005 There are no
meetings scheduled for the week of July 11, 2005.
Week of July 18, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled
for the week of July 18, 2005.
Week of July 25, 2005--Tentative Thursday, July 28, 2005 1:30
p.m.--Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). Week of
August 1, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the
week of August 1, 2005.
Week of August 8, 2005--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled
for the week of August 8, 2005.
Week of August 15, 2005--Tentative Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10
a.m.--Meeting with the Organization of Agreement States (OAS) and
the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD)
(Public Meeting). (Contact: Shawn Smith, (301) 415-2620.) This
meeting will be webcast live at the Web address.
http://www.nrc.gov .
1 p.m.--Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1). * The
schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short
notice. To verify the status of meetings call (recording)--(301)
415-1292. Contact person for more information: Michelle Schroll,
(301) 415-1662.
The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the Internet
at: http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/schedule.html.
The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with
disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable
accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need
this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from
the public meetings in another format (e.g., braille, large
print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator,
August Spector, at (301) 415-7080, TDD: (301) 415- 2100, or by
e-mail at aks@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable
accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred
subscribers: if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like
to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the
Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301) 415-1969. In addition,
distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is
available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission
meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic
message to dkw@nrc.gov. Dated: July 11, 2005.
R. Michelle Schroll, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05-13722 Filed 7-8-05; 9:58 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
*****************************************************************
19 NRC: Tennessee Valley Authority; Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 2
FR Doc E5-3680
[Federal Register: July 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 132)]
[Notices] [Page 40064-40065] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12jy05-101]
and 3; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendments to
Facility Operating License and Opportunity for a Hearing The U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is
considering issuance of amendments to Facility Operating Licenses
No. DPR-52 and DPR-68, issued to Tennessee Valley Authority (the
licensees), for operation of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN)
Units 2 and 3 located in Limestone County, Alabama.
The proposed amendments would change the BFN, Units 2 and 3
operating licenses to increase the maximum authorized power level
from 3458 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 3952 MWt. This change
represents an increase of approximately 15 percent above the
current maximum authorized power level. The proposed amendments
would also change the BFN, Units 2 and 3 licensing bases and any
associated technical specifications for containment overpressure.
Before issuance of the proposed license amendments, the
Commission will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's
regulations.
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, the
licensee may file a request for a hearing with respect to
issuance of the amendments to the subject facility operating
license and any person whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the
proceeding must file a written request for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene. Requests for a hearing and a
petition for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with
the Commission's ``Rules of Practice for Domestic Licensing
Proceedings'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult
current copies of 10 CFR 2.309, 2.304, and 2.305, which are
available at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located
at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01F21, 11555 Rockville
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available
records will be accessible from the Agencywide Documents Access
and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on
the Internet at the NRC Web site,
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. If a request
for a hearing and petition for leave to intervene is filed by the
above date, the Commission or a presiding officer designated by
the Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board Panel will rule on the request and
petition; and the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of
the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a
hearing or an appropriate order.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the
petitioner/ requestor in the proceeding, and how that interest
may be affected by the results of the proceeding. The petition
should specifically explain the reasons why intervention should
be permitted with particular reference to the following general
requirements: (1) The name, address and telephone number of the
requestor or petitioner; (2) the nature of the
requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party
to the proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the requestor's/
petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the
proceeding; and (4) the possible effect of any decision or order
which may be entered in the proceeding on the
requestor's/petitioner's interest. The petition must also
identify the specific contentions which the petitioner/requestor
seeks to have litigated in the proceeding.
Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue
of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the
petitioner/requestor shall provide a brief explanation of the
bases for the contention and a concise statement of the alleged
facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which
the petitioner intends to rely in proving the contention at the
hearing. The petitioner must also provide references to those
specific sources and documents of which the petitioner is aware
and on which the petitioner intends to rely to establish those
facts or expert opinion. The petition must include sufficient
information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the
applicant on a material issue of law or fact. Contentions shall
be limited to matters within the scope of the amendment under
consideration. The contention must be one which, if proven, would
entitle the petitioner/requestor to relief. A petitioner/
requestor who fails to satisfy these requirements with respect to
at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a
party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to
intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the
conduct of the hearing.
Nontimely requests and petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission or the
presiding officer of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that
the petition, request and/or the contentions should be granted
based on a balancing of the factors specified in 10 CFR
2.309(a)(1)(l)-(viii). A request for a hearing and petition for
leave to intervene must be filed by: (1) First class mail
addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001,
Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; (2) courier,
express mail, or expedited delivery services: Office of the
Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, Attention: Rulemaking
and Adjudications Staff; (3) e-mail addressed to the Office of
the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
HEARINGDOCKET@NRC.GOV; or (4) facsimile transmission addressed to
the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff at
(301) 415-1101, verification number is (301) 415-1966. A request
for hearing and petition for leave to intervene need not comply
with 10 CFR 2.304(b), (c) and (d) if an original and two copies
otherwise complying with the requirements of that section are
mailed within two (2) days after filing by e-mail or facsimile
transmission to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and
Adjudications Staff. A copy of the request for hearing and
petition for leave to intervene should also be sent to the Office
of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, and it is requested that copies be
transmitted either by means of facsimile transmission to
301-415-3725 or by e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov. A copy of the
request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene should
also be sent to General Counsel, Tennessee Valley Authority, ET
11A, 400 West
[[Page 40065]] Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37902,
attorney for the licensee.
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for amendments dated June 25, 2004, and supplements
dated February 23 and April 25, 2005, which are available for
public inspection at the Commission's PDR, located at One White
Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first
floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be
accessible electronically from the ADAMS Public Electronic
Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site,
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have
access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference
staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail
to
pdr@nrc.gov. Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of July,
2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Eva A. Brown, Project Manager, Section 2, Project Directorate II,
Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E5-3680 Filed 7-11-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
20 York Daily Record: PEACH BOTTOM: NRC probes shutdown -
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will follow up
on the cause of a turbine trip that led to Sunday's automatic
shutdown of Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station's Unit 2 reactor.
The plant is powered by two boiling-water reactors that
generate steam used to run a turbine that produces electricity.
At the time of the shutdown, the unit's reactor coolant
system experienced a high pressure condition that caused both
recirculation pumps to trip. As a result, three safety-relief
valves lifted and reseated.
By Tuesday morning, the reactor had returned to 67
percent power.
Copyright York Daily Record 2005
122 S. George St., P.O. Box 15122
York, PA 17405, (717) 771-2000
*****************************************************************
21 Post-Crescent: Kewaunee nuclear plant may experience a long life
Posted July 13, 2005
New owner wants to extend operating license past 2013
By Richard Ryman
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
CARLTON The Kewaunee Power Station will operate for another 28
years or longer if new owner Dominion Resources Inc. has its way.
David Christian, senior vice president and chief nuclear
officer, said Tuesday the company will be applying to extend the
nuclear plants operating license past its expiration in 2013.
Dominion Resources has renewed nuclear plant licenses at its
Surry and North Anna sites in Virginia and is in the process of
renewal for its Millstone site in Connecticut.
Christian spoke during a celebration at the plant marking its
sale by Wisconsin Public Service Corp. of Green Bay and
Wisconsin Power & Light/ Alliant Energy of Madison to Dominion.
The sale was completed July 5. Wisconsin Public Service Corp.
received $113 million in cash and Wisconsin Power & Light
received $78.5 million. Wisconsin Public Service owned 59
percent of the plant, and Wisconsin Power & Light owned 41
percent.
The deal was announced in November 2003 with the belief it
would be completed the following summer, but regulatory and
maintenance problems created delays.
The plant was shut down from February through June this year for
repairs.
You did absolutely the right thing, said Charlie Schrock,
president of generation for Wisconsin Public Service, of the
shutdown, which cost the company about $17 million off the
initially agreed-upon sales price.
Nuclear safety is always our number one priority.
Among the plants 550 employees are 150 members of Local 310 of
the International Union of Operating Engineers. Kelly Gretz,
chapter chairman, said union members spoke with representatives
of several companies that contemplated buying the plant and
those from Dominion made the best impression. So far, he said,
theyve been a good fit.
The Kewaunee plant was operated by Nuclear Management Co. of
Hudson, which was formed by Wisconsin Public Service, Alliant
and other Midwestern utilities that own nuclear plants. Nuclear
Management Co. continues to operate the Point Beach Nuclear
Plant about six miles south of the Kewaunee plant.
Union members at Kewaunee, however, remained employees of
Wisconsin Public Service until they joined Dominion after the
sale.
Richard Ryman writes for the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
*****************************************************************
22 Transcontinental Newsnet: Nuclear plant must be fixed, says Ghiz
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
By Wayne Thibodeau, The Guardian
Guardian photo by heather taweel
New Brunswick Liberal Leader Shawn Graham, left, and P.E.I.
Liberal Leader Robert Ghiz say the Point Lepreau nuclear plant
in New Brunswick must be refurbished. The Liberal leaders met in
Charlottetown Tuesday to discuss energy concerns in the Atlantic
region.
Liberal leaders from two provinces are calling on the New
Brunswick government to refurbish Atlantic Canada’s only
nuclear power plant.
The province has not decided what to do with the aging Candu
reactor at Point Lepreau.
Refurbishing it will cost about $1.4 billion.
Mothballing the facility will cost $500 million.
Either way, the P.E.I. government will be on the hook for part
of the costs. The Island’s bill could be about $75 million if
the nuclear reactor is refurbished.
Following meetings in Charlottetown Tuesday, Liberal Leader
Robert Ghiz and New Brunswick Liberal Leader Shawn Graham said
the reactor must be refurbished to ensure an adequate,
cost-effective electricity supply in the region.
“What happens at Point Lepreau is going to influence what
happens in Prince Edward Island,” Ghiz said at a news
conference, flanked by the New Brunswick Liberal leader.
“I believe that Point Lepreau is going to be important — it
accounts for about 30 per cent of our energy needs here in
Prince Edward Island. Hopefully, what we’re doing today is
forging more co-operation into the future, we hope, so that
Prince Edward Island will have the energy that we need and that
we’ll be able to have lower rates in the long term.”
Graham said decommissioning Point Lepreau is not an option.
The reactor produces 635 megawatts of electricity.
“Those 600 megawatts are very important because they’re not
only a clean energy source, they’re the cheapest energy
source,” said Graham.
About 95 per cent of P.E.I.’s electricity is purchased from
New Brunswick.
About 20 to 30 per cent of that electricity comes from the
nuclear plant.
Premier Pat Binns has said he won’t get involved in
discussions about whether Point Lepreau should be refurbished.
“I am not in a position to determine whether a huge
investment in Point Lepreau is in the best interest of our
region’s energy needs,” Binns said in June.
Energy Minister Jamie Ballem said Tuesday the P.E.I. government
is prepared to support New Brunswick in whatever decision it
makes.
But Ballem said the final decision lies with the New Brunswick
government — not the P.E.I. government.
The issue was raised last week when Atlantic energy ministers
met in New Brunswick.
“Point Lepreau is an important part of the Atlantic energy
system, no question about it,” said Ballem.
“But one of its strong points right now is that it’s a
source of cheap electricity but after refurbishing, it becomes a
whole lot more expensive.”
The P.E.I. government is investing heavily in renewable energy.
The Island hoped to have 15 per cent of its electricity supplied
by renewable energy sources like the wind by 2010.
The province now feels it can meet that target four years
earlier, in 2006.
Ballem said while renewable energy may be the solution for the
long term, a short-term solution is not in sight.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” he said.
The Environment minister warned that will probably mean more
expensive electricity rates in the future for the whole region.
“We’ve enjoyed a cheap source of electricity, now that
plant is worn out and we have to pay for it.”
Energy issues dominated the two-hour meeting Tuesday morning
and the Liberal leaders were joined by their energy critics.
Richard Brown, the Liberal energy critic in P.E.I., said wind
energy is great but expensive. He said reliable energy sources
must be secured.
“Let’s face it, without New Brunswick on board here wind in
P.E.I. will bankrupt us,” he said.
Electricity rates are expected to become a major issue in the
region in the years ahead.
Demand is starting to outpace supply, which is driving prices
up in all four Atlantic provinces.
Last week, Nova Scotia’s electric utility announced a 15 per
cent rate hike.
The New Brunswick government is looking to the federal
government to help offset the costs to repair the aging nuclear
reactor.
Ghiz said the future of Point Lepreau is a P.E.I. issue,
especially if the province is going to have to pick up part of
the repair costs.
The P.E.I. Liberal leader has written Ottawa asking the federal
government to support refurbishing the reactor.
“I am disturbed that Pat Binns has likewise been reluctant to
offer his support to the refurbishment effort.”
The Guardian A division of Transcontinental Media Inc. 165 Prince
St. - P.O. Box 760 - Charlottetown - Prince Edward Island -
C1A 7L8 Contents of this website are copyright © The Guardian
comments@theguardian.pe.ca
*****************************************************************
23 Bennington Banner: Yankee Atomic: Retaining wall is no threat
Bennington, VT
Article Published: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 -
By CLOVER WHITHAM
Staff Writer
READSBORO -- Although they are emitting low levels of radiation,
the concrete blocks used in a retaining wall behind the
Readsboro General Store pose no threat to human health or the
environment, according to the Yankee Atomic Electric Company.
Kelly Smith, spokeswoman for Yankee Rowe, said this week that
the blocks used in the wall were the only blocks released for
public use.
"There is no impact to public health or safety or to the
environment," said Smith.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
recently ordered Yankee to inventory the whereabouts of 185
concrete blocks that came out of a Yankee Rowe reactor support
structure. Although 45 of them found their way into the
retaining wall, the 145 other blocks remained at the facility.
Low levels
The retaining wall is emitting low levels of radiation from
tritium, a radioactive substance created in reactors producing
electricity. Tritium is also produced in nuclear weapons
explosions and when cosmic rays strike atmospheric gases of the
upper atmosphere, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
The radiation emitted in the form of beta particles during the
decay of tritium is at such a low level it cannot pass through
the skin. Tritium can enter the body through water or gas,
according to the EPA.
Smith, the Yankee spokesperson, said that to be exposed to a
tritium dose equal to the EPA's annual allowable standard for
drinking water, a person would have to eat or inhale 700 pounds
of the concrete in the retaining wall.
According to a recent report by the National Academy of
Sciences, even very low doses of radiation are potentially
harmful to human health. The finding calls into question the
maximum radiation levels allowed at abandoned reactors.
June order
Yankee Atomic's inventory came in response to a June 21 order
issued by the Massachusetts environmental agency. While Yankee
maintained that the level of tritium coming from the blocks was
too low to cause harm, it also noted that the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission "does not currently have a set standard for tritium
in a free-release scenario for solids."
Elizabeth Stinehert, deputy regional director of administration
for the Department of Environmental Protection, said her agency
was reviewing 66 pages of material submitted by Yankee. It is
not known when the review will be done.
In February, the Vermont Department of Health conducted its own
testing of the retaining wall and concluded the there was no
reason to remove the blocks.
Robert Stirewalt, programs and policy coordinator for the
Vermont Department of Health said, "Vermont DH has determined
that the wall poses no radiological threat to health."
Readsboro General Store owner Tom Dente said he does not
believe the citizens of Readsboro are concerned about the wall
and that the media has made a bigger story out of the situation
than is warranted.
Community advisor
William LeQuier, member of the Yankee Rowe Community Advisory
Board and a Readsboro resident, said the board was first
notified of the radioactive blocks at its June 15 meeting.
"I knew about the blocks before just because I knew Tom,"
LeQuier said. He also said he was not concerned about the
radioactivity either before or after the meeting.
Copyright 1999-2005 New England Newspapers, Inc.,
*****************************************************************
24 Interfax: Russia welcomes OSCE nuclear security decision
Interfax.com Text version Site map
Jul 13 2005 10:06PM
MOSCOW. July 13 (Interfax) - The decision of the OSCE Standing
Council to join the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
code of conduct on ensuring the safety of nuclear materials
lowers the risk of terrorists acquiring those materials, the
Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
The initiative for the OSCE to take this step was cooperatively
proposed by the United States and Russia on July 7.
"By making this decision, the 55 OSCE countries have made
political obligations to join the IAEA code of conduct to ensure
the safety of nuclear materials and observe instructions on
their import and export," says a statement posted at www.mid.ru
on Wednesday.
"This decision indicates that there is productive development in
Russian-U.S. relations in the counter-terrorism sphere, and that
the OSCE is making a large contribution to carrying out this
important international task," the statement says.
1991-2005 Interfax
All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
25 RIA Novosti: Russia welcomes OSCE decision on countering radioactive
sources threat
14/07/2005
MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - The decision on countering the
radioactive sources threat adopted by the Permanent Council of
the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE)
testifies to productive interaction between the United States
and Russia in counter terrorist efforts, the Russian Foreign
Ministry said Wednesday.
The decision compiled by Russia and the United States and
adopted on July 7, obliges 55 OSCE member states to "work
towards following the guidance contained in the [IAEA] Code of
Conduct for the development and harmonization of policies, laws
and regulations on the safety and security of radioactive
sources. They should also work towards acting in accordance with
the Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources
supplementary to the Code of Conduct on a harmonized basis."
Twenty-eight states, including Russia, said they would introduce
effective control over the import and export of high-risk
radioactive sources by the end of the year.
The Foreign Ministry said the decision points to "the OSCE's
growing contribution to implementing the important task of
international cooperation." The ministry said the International
Atomic Energy Agency's code of conduct would be widely used in
the OSCE, which would reduce the risks of radioactive sources
falling into terrorists' hands.
2005 "RIA Novosti"
*****************************************************************
26 Guardian Unlimited: Chertoff to Overhaul Homeland Security
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Wednesday July 13, 2005 7:01 PM
AP Photo NYET250
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Proclaiming the Homeland Security Department
``open to change,'' Secretary Michael Chertoff on Wednesday
announced plans to centralize his agency's terror analysis, put
a higher priority on bioterrorism and step up detection systems
in mass transit.
In welcome news to Washington-area commuters, the department
also will lift a rule that forbade passengers from leaving their
seats for 30 minutes before flying into or out of Reagan
National Airport, Chertoff said in revealing the details of a
sweeping overhaul of the 2-year-old agency founded in the wake
of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Chertoff ordered the review in March shortly after he took
office. The overhaul aims to spur the sluggish bureacracy beset
by turf wars and growing pains, and to ensure deparment
resources are put into the nation's most vulnerable areas.
``Over time, as intelligence warrants and progress allows, DHS
will be open to change. We will be straight forward. If
something goes wrong, we will not only acknowledge it, we will
be the first to fix the error,'' Chertoff told a packed ballroom
of lawmakers, department employees and other officials.
Chertoff, who opened his speech offering condolences to the
British people after the London bombings. He did not give any
specifics about his plan to put explosives, bioterror, chemical
or radioactive material detection systems in the nation's rail,
subway and bus systems.
He also renewed his pitch to retool terror-watch lists used to
screen passengers on airline flights to eliminate what he called
``an unacceptably high number of false positives.''
Chertoff said the United States needs to improve its immigration
system as part of bolstering border security. Though the
department will deploy more personnel and technology at borders
to deter illegal immigrants from entering the country, Chertoff
said a newly approved temporary worker program should help
migrants seeking jobs in the United States ``into regulated
legal channels.''
He said he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will soon
announce plans to ease visa hassles for foreigners entering the
country to visit, work and study.
Chertoff also pledged better oversight of private contracting
practices in the department. But most of his recommendations
Wednesday focused on a shaking up of Homeland Security's chain
of command.
Chief among them was creation of an intelligence director to
centralize the analysis of information gathered by 11 Homeland
Security bureaus. The director, who has not yet been appointed,
will be asked to improve Homeland Security's standing within the
intelligence community, where it is perceived as a junior
partner and often left out of the loop.
Homeland Security was initially designed to be the government's
chief center for analyzing terrorist threats, but an interagency
office led by a CIA officer has assumed that role. Homeland
Security merged 22 agencies when it opened its doors in March
2003 - the largest U.S. government reorganization in 50 years.
A chief medical officer also will be named to oversee bioterror
policy and coordinate responses to biological attacks by the
Centers for Disease Control, which stockpiles vaccines and
antidotes, and state and local officials. Poor information flow
between federal agencies during the Washington-area's false
anthrax scare this year contributed to the decision to create
this post, officials said.
A new policy undersecretary will oversee international affairs,
strategic plans and work with the private sector. And Chertoff
will elevate cybersecurity by assigning it to an assistant
secretary, who also focuses on telecommunications.
Eighty percent of the changes can be accomplished under
Chertoff's existing authority; the remainder require
congressional approval.
Some lawmakers Chertoff briefed Tuesday said the overhaul was
headed in the right direction but remained skeptical that
bureaucratic reorganization would make the country safer.
``We appreciated him coming and talking to us, but ... at the
end of the day you have to show Congress and the public what you
have done will in fact make us safer'' said Rep. Bennie G.
Thompson of Mississippi, top Democrat on the House Homeland
Security Committee.
Thompson said Chertoff highlighted immigration and
vulnerabilities at chemical and nuclear plants as top
priorities.
Many of Chertoff's changes were recommended last year by experts
at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the
Heritage Foundation, two Washington think tanks.
``The current organization is weighted with bureaucratic layers
- there are still turf wars and there is no place for strategic
thinking and policy making,'' said CSIS Homeland Security
director David Heyman, who helped craft the recommendations.
^---
On the Net:
Homeland Security Department: http://www.dhs.gov
Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
27 [du-list] EEOCIPA compensation
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 14:40:06 -0700
Standing room only at this meeting..Local media was not there...Media
Release was done before meeting..
URANIUM WORKERS OBJECT TO CHANGES IN COMPENSATION
Meetings set to explain revised rules
Published: Tuesday, July 12, 2005
NEWS 01B
By Randy Ludlow
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
For four decades, workers at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant toiled
amid toxins and radiation that sent some to early graves and left others
with cancer.
Congress decided in 2000 to compensate the nation's sick uranium-enrichment
workers for the hidden hazards of producing components for nuclear weapons
during the Cold War.
However, some workers and the survivors of those who have died think they
might not have received their due.
Proposed rule changes affecting part of the federal program are drawing
objections.
The proposals are now interim policies that involve $125,000 death benefits
and worker-compensation-disability benefits.
U.S. Labor Department officials will explain the changes tonight in
Portsmouth and Wednesday in Piketon.
The plant is near Piketon, about 70 miles south of Columbus.
Officials might get an earful from Sam Ray and others who once worked at
the plant, which has since closed.
Before 1992, they enriched weapons-grade uranium, then turned to processing
uranium for fuel rods for nuclear-power plants.
Ray, 73, of Lucasville, uses an electronic voice box after losing his
larynx to a rare cancer he developed while working 41 years at the plant.
"We don't believe it's going to work,'' he said of the changes. "It's
unfair. They've taken a program that could work and raised the burden of
proof the workers must provide.''
Shelby Hallmark, director of workers' compensation programs for the Labor
Department, said the proposed rules will not deny benefits to deserving
applicants.
The department, he said, will help workers obtain evidence to support
claims and estimates of radiation exposure, for example.
Since 2001, about 850 Piketon workers with certain types of cancer and
other diseases, and about 300 survivors, have received a total of $124
million in $150,000 lump-sum payments, as well as medical care for life.
The claims of almost 1,050 more workers and survivors of deceased workers
at the government-owned plant have been denied the same coverage. They
couldn't prove that their illnesses were work-related.
Uranium workers are protesting the death-and-disability component of the
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program. That component
began last fall.
Federal officials are demanding that sick workers -- and survivors of the
dead -- document exposure to hazards and provide medical records and
statements from physicians.
Critics say those demands go too far.
A local union leader said the radiation-exposure records kept by Energy
Department contractors are unreliable and shouldnot play a role in deciding
awards.
Dan Minter is president of United Steel Workers/PACE Local 5-869, Piketon's
largest union.
"The litmus test is too high,'' he said.
Reasonable criteria, he said, should determine who gets benefits, with less
dependence on "judgment calls.''
Hallmark said federal officials are mindful of their mission to help
uranium-plant workers "exposed to some of the most dangerous and toxic
materials known to man.''
"These individuals certainly went in harm's way in the interest of
producing the nuclear weapons used to protect this country during the Cold
War. They deserve benefits.''
Nationwide, more than 14,000 sick workers and survivors have received
nearly $1.1 billion in federal benefits from both programs.
Hazardous-material cleanup and radiation decontamination is continuing at
the Piketon plant. The site will be home to a uranium-conversion plant and
centrifuge plant expected to create 650 jobs in work-hungry southern Ohio.
rludlow@dispatch.com
Illustration: Graphic with Map appeared in newspaper, not in the archive.
Photo caption: Graphic with Map
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28 Radioactivity over 100X background levels - Portsmouth
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 19:17:20 -0500 (CDT)
PRESS RELEASE
EMBARGOED UNTIL JULY 15, 2005 Date: July 15, 2005
Contacts: Do Lee, ISAR. email: do@isar.org. base: 202-387-3034
Norm Buske, TRAC. email: search@igc.org. base: 360-275-1351
Vina Colley, PRESS. email: vcolley@earthlink.net.
base: 740-259-4688, 740-353-2275 cell phone: 740-357-8916
RADIATION MONITORED FROM PORTSMOUTH NUCLEAR PLANT
--ENERGY DEPARTMENT FAILS TO ADDRESS CITIZEN CONCERNS--
Radioactivity more than 100 times background levels in a stream from the
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Plant) was discovered by citizen groups
in November 2003.
Until now, the Plant's owner, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has denied
elevated radioactivity. Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental
Safety and Security (PRESS), a local environmental group, sampled and
tested stream water and foam flowing from the Plant.
Sampling was overseen by a Russian physicist with the non-profit
institute, Siberian Scientists for Global Responsibility. Dr. Sergei
Paschenko identified the elevated radioactivity as beta activity related to
"radon emanations." Such beta radioactivity is a by-product of new nuclear
weapons production.
In a February 2005 letter to PRESS, DOE provided data that revealed gross
beta radioactivity in water/foam samples at 300 to 1,010 picocuries/liter
(pCi/liter). According to Norm Buske, Director of The RadioActivist Campaign
(TRAC), normal beta radioactivity in water is one to
two pCi/liter. "The citizens' were right! Radioactivity coming out of the
Plant is hundreds of times background." The Environmental Protection
Agency's limit on gross beta radioactivity in ambient water is 50
pCi/liter.
"We can no longer pretend that there is no off-site radiation," said Vina
Colley of PRESS. "Our findings have been known since November 2003, yet
neither the DOE nor USEC have done anything about it. This is a depressed
community. There is no work here. We are outraged that our government is
letting this happen to us. When will this community have justice? The DOE
and USEC must stop giving false hopes to the workforce in these
communities where the Ohio River flows."
The citizens' sampling and testing around the Plant was part of an
international exchange program, begun in 2000, by ISAR: Resources for
Environmental Activists (ISAR). At ISAR's request, TRAC, a non-profit
scientific organization based in Washington state, compiled the
results in "A Citizen's Guide to Monitor Radioactivity." ISAR released the
Guide in Paducah, Ohio, on July 12, 2005.
Results of citizens' and DOE monitoring will be presented and discussed at
a community meeting on at 11:00 AM July 15, 2005, at Shawnee State
University, Room 207, Library, 740 Second Street, Portsmouth, Ohio. The
press is invited to attend and ask
questions.
_______________________________
Supported by a grant from the Citizens' Monitoring and Technical
Assessment Fund.
*****************************************************************
29 [NukeNet] Experts Fear Suicide Bomb Is Spreading Into the West
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 14:40:09 -0700
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
Still, Mr. Goss also noted that Al Qaeda "is only
one facet of the threat from a broader Sunni
jihadist movement."
CRAC-2 Report:
http://www.mothersalert.org/crac.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/international/europe/13suicide.html?
Experts Fear Suicide Bomb Is Spreading Into the
West
a.. E-Mail This
b.. Printer-Friendly
c.. Reprints
By DOUGLAS JEHL
Published: July 13, 2005
WASHINGTON, July 12 - A suicide bombing may be the
ultimate act of devotion, and so it also
represents the ultimate security nightmare: an
attack in which the one essential ingredient is
not training or technology but commitment.
Skip to next paragraph
It is a tactic that has proved so effective in
cities like Beirut, Jerusalem and Baghdad that it
would only be a matter of time, security experts
have warned, before it would migrate to other
parts of the world.
In London, that moment may have arrived with the
police announcement that one bomber had died in
the wreckage and property belonging to three
others had been found at the locations of the
other blasts.
If the attacks in London do prove to have been
suicide attacks, the outlines of life could
change, with new fears of copycat attacks and a
new awareness of the impotence of measures like
immigration checks and public address
announcements urging a lookout for suspicious
parcels.
"A suicide attacker could be anyone," said Daniel
Benjamin, a former Clinton administration official
and terrorism expert who is the author of "The
Next Attack," due to be published this fall. "He
doesn't have to be trained, just indoctrinated.
There's no profile; that's what makes it so hard
to defend against."
Of course, Americans have already been
confronted - on Sept. 11, 2001 - with attackers
willing to die for their cause. But that plot
required hijackers, jetliners and a choreography
far more complex than the chillingly simple steps
involved in boarding a subway train or a bus and
detonating an explosive, as at least one of the
attackers from Leeds appears to have done in
London last week.
Why suicide attacks have not previously emerged in
the West is a mystery. In the Middle East and in
Asia, the tactic has spread in recent years far
beyond its origins in Lebanon in 1982, where it
was pioneered by the Shiite Muslim group
Hezbollah.
In Israel and its occupied territories,
Palestinians have carried out more than 200
suicide attacks in the last decade, killing
hundreds of Israeli soldiers and civilians. In
Iraq, since the American invasion of 2003, more
than 500 suicide bombings have been carried out by
Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters aligned with
them, at a toll of hundreds and hundreds of Iraqi
and American lives.
But with the notable exception of Sept. 11, the
same pattern has not emerged in the West, the
nominal target of most Islamic extremists. In
March 2004, the terrorists who killed 191 people
in Madrid detonated their explosives remotely, and
only killed themselves when the authorities had
surrounded their hide-out.
Even last week, after the London attacks, a senior
American intelligence official cast doubt on the
idea that suicide bombers could have been
responsible, saying that initial reports to that
effect "have not been confirmed at all."
In offering explanations for why Western shopping
malls and nightclubs have not yet been touched by
suicide attacks, American officials have suggested
that this may represent a success for immigration
controls and law-enforcement measures that have
put a premium, particularly since Sept. 11, at
screening out Islamic extremists.
Michael Chertoff, the new homeland security chief,
said in an interview on ABC News over the weekend
that while some suspects had been charged only
with minor crimes, their arrests might have
pre-empted larger operations.
American officials have also suggested that
whatever remains of the core of Qaeda, headed by
Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants, probably has
little interest in squandering its resources on a
small-scale attack. The bombings in London appear
to have claimed fewer than 100 lives, compared
with the nearly 3,000 killed in the Sept. 11
attacks, and most American intelligence officials
have long said they believed that Al Qaeda
remained determined to surpass Sept. 11 in scope.
In public testimony earlier this year, Porter J.
Goss, the director of central intelligence, said
that it "may only be a matter of time before Al
Qaeda or another group attempts to use chemical,
biological, radiological and nuclear weapons."
Still, Mr. Goss also noted that Al Qaeda "is only
one facet of the threat from a broader Sunni
jihadist movement."
For smaller homegrown groups, like the one that
acted in Madrid and whatever operation may have
been behind the London attacks, the daily example
of the havoc that can be created by suicide
attacks in places like Iraq and Israel may have
proved impossible to ignore.
_______________________________________________________________________
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30 NRC: NRC Approves Expedited Procedures for Permitting Higher Dose Limits for Patient Caregivers
News Release - 2005-10
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail:
No. 05-101 July 13, 2005
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved new procedures
for permitting visitors to patients receiving nuclear medicine
or brachytherapy to receive radiation doses above current
regulatory limits if warranted by the patients needs.
Members of the public visiting patients who are undergoing
nuclear medicine or brachytherapy procedures receive radiation
doses from radiation emanating from the patient. The actual dose
depends on many factors, including the medical procedure
involved, the frequency and duration of the visits, proximity to
the patient and the extent of the visitors involvement in the
patients care.
Under NRC regulations, the permissible annual radiation dose to
any member of the public, including hospital visitors, is 0.1
rem (100 millirem). Visitors to patients who cannot be
discharged under NRC regulations are permitted to receive a dose
of up to 0.5 rem (500 millirem) under certain circumstances.
(For comparison, the average annual dose from natural sources to
an individual in the United States is about 0.3 rem, or 300
millirem.)
Two recent cases involving exposures of visitors have shown that
these limits are not sufficient to take certain patient needs
into account. When a family member or friend becomes a caregiver
and is actively involved in the patients care, a hospital
licensee trying to enforce the regulatory dose limits may be
forced to choose between risking potential NRC enforcement
action by violating the regulatory limits or compromising the
patients care to minimize the caregivers dose.
Currently, licensees may request emergency, case-specific
exemptions from NRC regulations for these situations, asking the
NRC staff to determine an allowable dose above the regulatory
limit. This approach lacks standard procedures for granting
exemptions and may not always ensure proper control of the
caregivers exposures.
The new procedures approved by the Commission would allow the
licensee to determine a dose limit based on the conditions of a
particular case and establish standard procedures for requesting
and granting an expedited license exemption. Caregivers would be
given instruction in how to limit their exposure. NRC Regional
offices will have authority to grant expedited exemptions for
limits up to 5 rem, provided the licensee submits sufficient
justification. Requests for limits above 5 rem will require
special justification by the licensee and additional review by
the agencys Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards.
The NRC staff expects to issue a Regulatory Issues Summary on
the new procedures, including guidance on their implementation,
by mid-2006. Until then, the current procedures for requesting
an exemption from the regulatory requirement remain in effect.
Last revised Wednesday, July 13, 2005
*****************************************************************
31 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Dream of a nuclear nightmare
[seattlepi.com]
[OPINION]
Thursday, July 14, 2005
By BILL WITHERUP GUEST COLUMNIST
I dreamed last night of blind horses with a white mane. Such an
incident happened after the first test of a nuclear weapon at
White Sands, N.M., on July 16, 1945. A rancher living in the
blast pattern of the Trinity Test said that, afterward, some of
his horses went blind. When they stumbled, fell and then rolled
over -- their backs and manes had gone white.
In my dream I am naked on the blind, white horse, and we are
riding directly into the nuclear fire. No doubt my dream was
influenced by two of Alfred Pinkham Ryder's paintings: "The Poet
on Pegasus Entering the Realm of the Muses" (middle 1880s) and
"The Race Track -- Death on a Pale Horse" (late 1880s-early
1890s). The novelist and short story writer Katherine Anne
Porter titled a novella, "Pale Horse, Pale Rider," after Ryder's
racetrack painting, which shows Death riding a horse in the
reverse direction around a track, a scythe in his right hand.
I have italicized reverse direction purposely, for we have not
put an end to war since the end of World War II: Korea, Vietnam,
the Gulf War, the War on Iraq, to name only the four most
reported. Gen. Douglas MacArthur considered using a nuclear
weapon in Korea. U.S. forces sprayed Agent Orange on Vietnam.
Depleted uranium (DU) coats ammunition in the Iraq War arsenal
and was also employed in the Gulf War.
Though poison gas grenades and shells were used in World War I,
with the development of nuclear armaments mankind has created a
weapon that not only kills enemy combatants but also poisons
non-combatants, poisons soldiers in the field and poisons the
workers who manufacture the nuclear components of the weaponry.
An atomic bomb or nuclear missile has more destructive power
than so-called conventional bombs because those not killed by
blast and heat may die of radiation poisoning. Propagandists for
the atomic bomb, such as Gen. Leslie Groves, the military head
of the Manhattan Project, and William L. Laurence, the science
reporter for The New York Times, deliberately drew the curtain
over the radioactive horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has
now been documented that Laurence was also on Groves' payroll,
for PR purposes. Laurence was perhaps the main writer to glorify
the atomic bombings. He once wrote of the mushroom cloud that it
was as beautiful as a modernist sculpture.
This fact should be taught to all schoolchildren: On July 16,
1945, 05:29:45, Mountain War Time, at the Alamogordo Test Range,
in the Jornada del Muerto desert (Journey of Death), the most
murderous weapon in human history was tested. The scientists
already knew that if the Trinity explosion was successful, it
would also have radioactive fallout.
The rancher and his horses downwind from the blast were not
warned of the test. Native Americans, ranchers and others in
towns near the Trinity site are still dying of cancer. Workers,
family members and downwinders in the Tri-Cities are dying of
cancer and the Columbia River has nuclear contaminants in its
gut.
I know Trinity personally. My father worked at Hanford, helping
to manufacture the plutonium for the Trinity Test and for its
nuclear twin, Fat Man. Dad died in 1988 from cancer, after 30
years of work at Hanford. A snapshot of my father, when he first
came out to Hanford in 1944, shows him on a fake pony, and he
has a cowboy hat on. My mother -- the rest of the family was
still in Kansas City -- thought it was a real horse and wrote
him "to please be careful!" Bill Witherup is a poet living in
Seattle. His essay, "Mother Witherup's Top Secret Cherry Pie,"
is forthcoming in the anthology "Working Class Literature of the
United States," edited by Nicolas Coles and Janet Zandy (Oxford,
2006).
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA
98119 (206) 448-8000
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
1996-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
*****************************************************************
32 APP.COM: Evacuation plan skeptic - Do a dry run
Asbury Park Press
Oyster Creek defenders say state plan would be effective
Published in the Asbury Park Press 07/13/05
BY NICHOLAS CLUNN
STAFF WRITER
WHAT'S NEXT
State officials in charge of planning for an emergency around
the Oyster Creek plant in Lacey and New Jersey's three other
reactors in Salem County will meet with federal regulators and
emergency management officials on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 to talk
about providing a backup power source for sirens around the
reactors.
The sirens are meant to alert people to tune to a broadcast
outlet for instructions during a radiological emergency.
TOMS RIVER A critic of a plan to renew the operating
license for the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant called on state
emergency management officials Tuesday night toconduct a "dry
run" evacuation. It would simulate what would happen if a
radioactive release from the Lacey reactor were imminent.
That request and pleas from other critics wanting the four
officials present to help close Oyster Creek were made during an
annual public hearing meant to provide information the state
could use to alter its plan for radiological emergencies.
About 60 people attended the hearing, and 16 signed up to speak.
Many talked emotionally and fearfully about the longest-running
reactor in the country.
But Ed Stroup, president of International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers Local 1289, and the union leader of many
plant employees, warned the officials from the state Department
of Environmental Protection and the State Police about the
passionate talk.
"We should not allow hype and hysteria to enter this hearing,"
he said.
Also at the meeting were officials from Oyster Creek, including
its vice president, Bud Swenson. Plant spokeswoman Gina Scala
said she attended the meeting to learn more about people's
concerns so that plant officials could attempt to educate people.
Paula Gotsch, the leader of the citizens group Grandmothers,
Mothers and More for Energy Safety, called on officials to hold
a full-fledged evacuation drill to prove that the emergency plan
would work.
"Let's do it," said Gotsch, whose group opposes a license
renewal for Oyster Creek. "Let's see if it works."
Gotsch said she was glad, for reasons that benefited her group's
case, that a dry run of an evacuation conducted around the
Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in May had been executed
poorly.
According to a published report, the federal government sharply
faulted Vermont and two towns there for failing to handle key
components of the test.
In one error that would have jeopardized human life, the
emergency operations center experienced a 14-minute delay in
sending out an evacuation notice to some towns and a separate
notice about seeking shelter to other ones, federal officials
said.
A strong defense
The remarks by Gotsch were preceded by a strong defense of the
Oyster Creek evacuation plan.
State Police Capt. Jerome Hatfield called it cutting-edge, said
it had been tested scientifically and vowed that it would work.
Later, William deCamp Jr., president of Save Barnegat Bay, told
officials that they were insulting the public by saying that the
plan would work.
"What I would like to see, in this ultimate public safety issue,
is common sense," he said. "Everyone must surely know that you
can't evacuate Ocean County in the event of an accident."
Brick Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli called on the officials to act
with conviction and courage by helping to close Oyster Creek,
which he regards as a likely target for terrorists.
"The best prevention is to remove the target," he said.
Nicholas Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or nclunn@app.com
the Asbury Park Press
Copyright 2005 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
33 NRC: Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
FR Doc E5-3679
[Federal Register: July 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 132)]
[Notices] [Page 40065-40068] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12jy05-102]
Related to Incorporating the Decommissioning Plan for the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Mdnr) Bay City, MI,
Tobico Marsh Site Into the License AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant
Impact.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Nelson, Project Manager,
Materials Decommissioning Section, Decommissioning Directorate,
Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T7E18, Washington, DC 20555.
Telephone: 301-415- 6626; fax number: 301-415-5397; e-mail:
dwn@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is considering issuing a license amendment to
Material License No. SUC-1581 issued to the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources (MDNR), to incorporate the Tobico Marsh
State Game Area Decommissioning Plan (DP) for the MDNR, Bay City,
Michigan, Tobico Marsh site into the License. SUC-1581 was issued
in 1999 authorizing MDNR to possess on-site radioactive materials
related to the decommissioning of the MDNR Tobico Marsh site. In
a letter dated April 2, 2003, MDNR requested that the Tobico
Marsh State Game Area DP be incorporated into the licensee. On
January 30, 2004, MDNR submitted a revised DP (Revision 1) and in
a letter dated December 20, 2004, MDNR proposed additional
changes to Revision 1. The license will be amended to include all
of the revisions and changes described in the January 30, 2004,
and December 20, 2004, letters.
If the NRC approves the amendment, the DP will be incorporated
into the MDNR License. The NRC has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) in support of this proposed action in accordance
with the requirements of Part 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 51.
Based on the EA, the NRC has determined that a Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate.
II. Environmental Assessment Background The site is a small part
of the former (now closed) industrial waste disposal area locally
known as the Hartley & Hartley Landfill. The industrial waste
disposal facility, which opened in the mid-1950's, was originally
operated by the Hartley family and is estimated to have received
18,000 barrels of spent solvents, oils, and other liquid and
solid wastes for disposal during the 1960's and early 1970's.
Foundry waste containing low levels of naturally occurring
radioactivity in the form of magnesium-thorium slag was also
disposed of at the site beginning in 1970. By 1973, disposal
activities on site had ceased.
Currently, the Hartley & Hartley Landfill industrial disposal
site is treated as two separate sites (the MDNR site and the SC
Holdings, Inc site) after having been subdivided. In a formal
land exchange concluded in 1973, the Hartleys conveyed land to
the State of Michigan that included approximately three acres
where waste disposal had previously occurred in return for lands
bordering their industrial waste site. The 3-acre portion, now
known as the MDNR site, is part of the State of Michigan property
which is known as the Tobico Marsh State Game Area.
The 3-acre portion was an area where the Hartley's mined
(excavated) a former beach-ridge sand deposit. The excavation
resulted in surface depressions flooded with surface water and
near-surface ground water. Industrial wastes, including drums,
spent solvents, oils and other liquid and solid wastes were
disposed of in the excavations. In addition to these materials,
magnesium-thorium slag containing naturally occurring thorium
(Th) was also disposed of in the excavations beginning in 1970.
The slag, thought to have been generated by Wellman Dynamics at a
site within Bay City, Michigan, was a byproduct of casting and
foundry operations involving magnesium-thorium alloys.
In 1984, to contain the chemical wastes and preclude the
potential migration of chemical (non-radioactive) contaminants
beyond those areas already impacted by the disposal, a bentonite
slurry wall was placed around the disposal area and covered with
a 1.5 m (5 ft) thick clay cap. The slurry walls and cap formed a
cell which contained the chemical wastes, as well as the slag
containing magnesium-thorium alloys.
A small building and adjacent concrete pad, which are still in
place, were constructed on-site after the slurry walls and clay
cover were installed. A leachate collection and treatment system
(LCTS) was installed within the cell and slurry walls. The small
building was designed to house the LCTS controls. The building
has been used to stage survey equipment and temporarily store
potentially radiologically contaminated waste generated during
previous on-site surveying activities. The LCTS was designed by
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to
withdraw liquid non-radiological contaminants (leachate) from the
waste cell to prevent hydrostatic pressure in the cell from
building to a point that chemical contaminants would leak from
the cell. In the past, there was no noticeable buildup of
pressure within the cell. The LCTS was never operated and, MDNR
believes that liquid levels within the cell will not build to the
point where operation of the LCTS is needed.
The primary radioactive source term within the cell is comprised
of pockets of vitreous, thorium-bearing slag that lie in a lens
that is approximately 5 to 6 feet below the ground surface. A
clay cover (approximately 5 feet thick at the center of the cell)
overlays the ground surface. On August 26, 1999, the NRC
[[Page 40066]] issued Source Material License No. SUC-1581 to
MDNR authorizing possession of the thorium-bearing slag and
decommissioning of the site. Prior to 1999, the site had never
been licensed.
On April 2, 2003, MDNR submitted a DP for the site. The DP
outlined decommissioning activities including the removal of the
building, the adjacent concrete pad and the above-grade
components of the LCTS. Following those activities, the site
would be released for unrestricted use as specified in 10 CFR
20.1402 and the radioactive materials license would be
terminated. The NRC staff determined that the submittal was
incomplete, and on January 30, 2004, MDNR submitted a revised and
updated DP (Revision 1). On August 27, 2004, the NRC staff
transmitted a letter to MDNR requesting additional information
(RAI) related to Revision 1. In a December 20, 2004, letter, MDNR
responded to the RAIs and provided supplemental information to
the Revision 1 DP that indicated the on-site building, concrete
pad and above-grade components of the LCTS would not be removed
but would remain intact.
The Proposed Action The proposed action is to amend Source
Materials License No.
SUC- 1581 to incorporate the revised DP into the license. The
revised DP proposes that the on-site building, adjacent concrete
pad and LCTS remain in place and intact and all residual
radioactivity be contained within the on-site engineered cell.
With regard to the radiological materials, the site will be
released for unrestricted use.
Need for the Proposed Action The proposed action is to amend
Source Materials License No.
SUC- 1581 to conduct activities on-site that would lead to the
release of the MDNR Tobico Marsh State Game Area site located at
2301 Two Mile Road, Bay County, Michigan, for unrestricted use.
The licensee's action of leaving the radiological material (the
thorium-bearing slag) in place within the cell conforms with the
NRC regulation that the dose to the average member of the
critical group is below the requirements in 10 CFR 20 Subpart E
for unrestricted release before license termination. The licensee
needs the license amendment to incorporate the revised DP into
the license. NRC is fulfilling its responsibilities under the
Atomic Energy Act to make a decision on a proposed license
amendment for incorporation of a revised DP into the license and
to ensure the protection of public health and safety and the
environment.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action The NRC staff and MDNR
considered four alternatives for the decommissioning plan: (1)
Complete removal of the waste cell contents (both radiological
and chemical materials); (2) removal of only the radiological
material from the waste cell; (3) leaving the radiological
material in the waste cell, leaving the on-site building,
adjacent concrete pad and LCTS on site, terminating the license,
and releasing the site for unrestricted use; and (4) taking no
remedial action and retaining the site license (``No Action
Alternative''). The preferred alternative, No. 3, is described,
in detail, in Revision 1 the DP as supplemented by the December
20, 2004, letter from MDNR.
The MDNR site contains radiological as well as chemical
materials. The chemical materials are regulated by the MDEQ under
Part 201 of Michigan regulations. The radiological and chemical
materials are all contained within an on-site engineered waste
cell that has slurry walls and a clay cap.
Alternatives 1 and 2 would cause the contents of the waste cell
to be disturbed, leading to a potential release of the materials
to the surrounding environment. Specifically, excavation of the
waste cell would expose workers and visitors to hazardous
materials within the cell. Hazardous materials could be released
via effluents or transmission in the air potentially
contaminating the surrounding environs. Shipping the materials
off-site for disposal could also expose workers and others to the
materials before, during, and after shipment to the disposal
site. The environmental impact presented by these two
alternatives could potentially put workers and the surrounding
environment at risk and are, therefore, not environmentally sound
options.
Alternative 3 is the preferred alternative, because the
alternative has little, if any, impact on the environment. Based
on an independent dose assessment, the NRC staff concluded that,
if the radiological material in the cell, the building, the
concrete pad, and the LCTS are left in place, no additional
actions are needed at the MDNR site for it to be released for
unrestricted use per 10 CFR 20.1402. The ``No Action
Alternative'' (Alternative 4) is not acceptable because retaining
a license would impose an unnecessary regulatory burden on MDNR.
Since no additional actions are needed at the MDNR site for it to
be released for unrestricted use per 10 CFR 20.1402, there is no
longer any need for requiring that the licensee maintain security
at the site and/or maintain the site's materials license.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action The Affected
Environment at the MDNR site includes the above grade components
of the LCTS; the 3-acre landfill encapsulated with slurry walls
and a clay cover; the shallow groundwater below the site; and,
the potentially impacted offsite groundwater and surface water.
The residual radioactivity at this site consists of two
components. The primary source term consists of the
magnesium-thorium slag materials buried within the waste cell and
secondary source term consists of contamination on surfaces. Site
characterization surveys found no evidence that the clay cap, the
building or the concrete pad surfaces were contaminated. However,
the clay cap could have been contaminated if magnesium-thorium
slag materials have been brought to the surface of the cap during
site characterization and the contamination could have spread to
the building and pad surfaces. Boreholes were drilled through the
clay cap during site characterization and samples were collected
from within the cell. The concrete pad was also used to process
the samples and may have been contaminated during processing.
Waste generated during the sampling activities was placed in a 55
gallon drum and stored in the building. The 55 gallon drum could
have leaked and contaminated the interior surfaces of the
building. The clay cap and all of the building and pad surfaces
will be surveyed during the final status surveys.
The radionuclide composition of the primary and secondary source
terms are assumed to be the same, because the secondary source
terms are essentially derived from the primary source term in the
waste cell. The isotopic composition for Th-230 and Th-232 and
their progeny is: (1) Pb-210--0.5%, (2) Ra-226--1.1%, (3)
Ra-228--16.1%, (4) Th-228-- 16.1%, (5) Th-230--50.0%, and (6)
Th-232--16.1%. The non-radiological contamination at this site is
contained within the encapsulated waste cell. The
non-radiological contamination includes organic chemicals which
are regulated by the MDEQ, not by the NRC. The non-radiological
contamination will be present after NRC license termination.
Approval of the proposed action does not absolve the licensee of
any other responsibilities it may have under Federal, State, or
local statutes or
[[Page 40067]] regulations regarding the non-radiological
contamination.
The site and much of the immediate area, except for the adjacent
former Hartley & Hartley landfill, is marsh land. The site itself
is a small portion of the Tobico Marsh State Game Area. The
shallow groundwater on-site is non-potable and there is no
surface water.
The environmental impacts of the licensee's requested action were
evaluated by reviewing the results of MDNR's dose assessments.
Those assessments assume that the radiological contaminants
remain within the waste cell and the surfaces of the building and
the concrete pad do not exceed the derived concentration
guideline levels (DCGLs). The licensee used computer codes RESRAD
and DandD to demonstrate that doses from residual radioactivity
did not exceed the regulatory limit (25 mrem/ yr). RESRAD and
DandD used both probabilistic and deterministic procedures for
each source term. Since the site will remain a controlled
landfill, the most realistic use for the land is infrequent
hunting and/or fishing.
Therefore, composite recreational scenario parameters were used
by RESRAD to calculate potential on-site doses. The DandD code
used all but one default parameters to calculate on-site dose.
The ``time in the building'' parameter was adjusted, however, to
more realistically describe the potential exposure from the
surface radioactivity on the building and the concrete pad. The
NRC staff performed independent analyses of the licensee's dose
assessments and was in agreement with MDNR's methods and results.
For the residual radioactivity in the waste cell, the licensee
assumed that the activity of thorium in the slag was its specific
activity and used that activity to generate a dose for the
composite recreational use scenario. Even with this very
conservative estimate of thorium activity, the estimated
potential dose was much less than 25 mrem/yr and no DCGLs were
reported for the waste cell.
For the residual radioactivity on the clay cap, the licensee
calculated the dose to a recreational user to be much less than
25 mrem/yr. Although there is no evidence that the clay cap is
contaminated, the licensee developed gross DCGLs for the clay
cap. The gross DCGLs are directly related to the activity of
Th-232, a surrogate for the mixture of radionuclides present in
the surface contamination. MDNR used the composite recreational
scenario to calculate gross DCGLs, even though, MDNR believes
that the likelihood of the presence of thorium contaminated
materials on the clay cover is extremely low.
For contamination on the surfaces of the building and the
concrete pad, the licensee calculated the dose to the average
member of the critical group to be much less than 25 mrem/yr.
Although there is no evidence that the surfaces of the building
and the concrete pad are contaminated, the licensee developed a
gross DCGLs for those surfaces. The licensee developed the gross
DCGL based upon a light-industrial building use scenario assuming
a person spent limited time in the building. Again, NRC staffs'
independent analyses of the licensee's dose assessments was in
agreement with MDNR's.
The NRC staff evaluated the potential radiological exposure to an
offsite receptor resulting from groundwater seepage through the
slurry walls. This potential radiological exposure is very low
due to the following reasons: 1. Any seepage of radiological
contaminated groundwater through the slurry walls will be
dispersed and diluted as the groundwater slowly travels to
Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron.
2. The travel time for groundwater to reach Saginaw Bay from the
site is long (several thousand years) because of the distance
(2.24 kilometers) between the two locations and because of the
low hydraulic gradient (0.0002 ft/ft) of the water table. 3.
Thorium's solubility in groundwater is very low (Appendix I,
MDNR, 2004).
4. The concentration of the radiological contaminated groundwater
will become highly diluted if it is discharged into the much
larger surface water volume of Saginaw Bay.
5. There are no receptors along the groundwater pathway between
the site and Saginaw Bay.
The NRC staff also evaluated whether there would be any adverse
radiological consequences from the operation of the LCTS and a
hypothetical leak from the LCTS. Based on the following
consideration, the staff concluded that there would be no adverse
consequences.
MDNR collected samples of leachate to determine if thorium in the
slag had migrated into the leachate. The sampling results
provided evidence that the slag was highly insoluble and would
not readily migrate within the cell. In addition, there is no
evidence that the liquid level within the cell would rise to the
point that the LCTS would need to be operated to reduce it.
Additionally, to receive any measurable dose, an individual would
have to be directly exposed to leachate that had leaked from the
LCTS during operation. The probability of a hypothetical leak of
contaminated liquid from the operation of the LCTS in sufficient
quantities to result in measurable dose to an average member of
the critical group is very low. Thus, consideration of possible
adverse radiological consequences from leaving the LCTS in place
were determined not to be necessary.
The revised DP provides that the radiological contaminants within
the waste cell would remain in place and the building and the
concrete pad would be decontaminated, if necessary, to meet the
DCGLs.
The total dose for the site from the radiological material in the
waste cell and the surface contamination on the clay cap and the
surfaces of the building and concrete pad will not exceed
25mrem/yr.
The NRC staff reviewed the Environmental Impacts of the
licensee's requested action to leaving the site ``as is'' and
release it for unrestricted use (Alternative 3). Based on the
staff's review of the DP, the staff determined that the
radiological environmental impacts associated with the licensee's
proposed action are bounded by the impacts evaluated in
NUREG-1496, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement of
Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of
NRC-Licensed Nuclear Facilities.'' Agencies and Persons Consulted
This Environmental Assessment was prepared entirely by the NRC
staff. The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office and the U.
S. Fish and Wildlife Service were contacted regarding this action
and neither had concerns regarding this licensing action. No
remedial actions are planned for the site, therefore, the release
of the MDNR site for unrestricted use would not affect historical
or cultural resources, nor will it affect threatened or
endangered species.
No other sources of information were used beyond those referenced
in this EA.
NRC provided a draft of its Environmental Assessment to the State
of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for its
review. MDEQ agreed with the conclusions in the EA.
Conclusions and Finding of No Significant Impact Based on its
review, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed action complies
with 10 CFR Part 20 Subpart E. NRC has prepared this EA in
support of the proposed license amendment to approve the DP.
On the basis of the EA, NRC has concluded that the environmental
impacts from the
[[Page 40068]] proposed action are expected to be insignificant
and has determined that preparation of an Environmental Impact
Statement is not needed for the proposed action.
Sources Used 1. NRC License No. 06-03754-01 inspection and
licensing records.
2. MDNR, Package dated January 30, 2004, ``License Amendment for
the Tobico Marsh State Game Site and Submission of a Revised
Decommissioning Plan.'' [ADAMS Accession No. ML040790356] 3. NRC,
Letter dated August 27, 2004, ``NRC Request for Additional
Information (RAI) with Regard to the Decommissioning Plan,
Revision 1, for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources'
Tobico Marsh State Game Area Site, Kawkawlin, Michigan.'' [ADAMS
Accession No. ML042290619] 4. MDNR, Letter dated December 20,
2004, Response to RAI--August 27, 2004, Tobico Marsh State Game
Area Site and Submission of Additional Information Relative to
the Decommissioning Plan Docket No. 40-9015, License SUC-1581.
[ADAMS Accession No. ML050100126] 5. NUREG-1748, Environmental
Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS
Programs, August 2003.
6. NUREG-1757, Volume 1, Rev 1, Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning
Guidance, Decommissioning Process for Materials Licensees, Final
Report, September 2003.
7. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20, Subpart E,
``Radiological Criteria for License Termination.'' 8. Title 10,
Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51, ``Environmental Protection
Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory
Functions.'' 9. MDEQ, E-Mail, ``MDNR Draft EA dated 3/24/05.''
10. NUREG-1496, Generic Environmental Impact Statement of
Rulemaking on Radiological Criteria for License Termination of
NRC- Licensed Nuclear Facilities, July 1997.
III. Further Information Documents related to this action,
including the application for amendment and supporting
documentation, are available electronically at the NRC's
Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, you can
access the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System
(ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public
documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the document related
to this notice are: ML042320524 for the August 26, 1999, letter
issuing the license, ML032790494 for the April 2, 2003, letter
requesting license amendment to incorporate the DP into the
license, ML040790356 for the January 30, 2004, letter revising
the DP (Revision 1), and ML050100126 for the letter dated
December 20, 2004, response to the NRC request for additional
information. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are
problems accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov. These documents may also be viewed electronically on
the public computers located at the NRC's PDR, O 1 F21, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.
Dated in Rockville, Maryland this 30th day of June, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel M. Gillen, Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Decommissioning Directorate.
[FR Doc. E5-3679 Filed 7-11-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
34 Cape Cod Times: Where are the KI pills?
(July 13, 2005)
By KEVIN DENNEHY
STAFF WRITER
Bulk supplies of a drug that would reduce health risks after a
nuclear meltdown still haven't been delivered to the Cape and
islands, more than two years after state law required potassium
iodide for every community in the region.
Potassium iodide in capsule form. It is also available as a
tablet.
(Times file photo)
For more than a year, the state Department of Public Health has
been stalled because several towns were slow to formally request
the supplies.
And now that all the requests are in - and the state is finally
sending out a $371,000 bill - there's no assurance that Entergy
Corp., the only nuclear plant owner in Massachusetts, will pay
it.
For local leaders, who call the nonprescription drug a simple
step to reduce risk if something were to go wrong at the Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, the delay has been utterly
frustrating.
If taken within a few hours of the release of nuclear
radiation, potassium iodide, or KI, can reduce the chances of
thyroid cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Children, infants and fetuses are particularly
sensitive to thyroid disease.
Once the drugs are delivered to towns across the region,
communities will keep them stored in schools and emergency
centers.
But the towns are still waiting.
''The whole process has been painfully slow,'' said state Rep.
Matthew Patrick, D-Falmouth, who pushed the original
legislation. ''It's almost sad, really. Thank God we haven't had
any accidents in the meantime.''
Potassium iodide essentially blocks the absorption of
radioactive iodine by flooding the thyroid with non-radioactive
iodine so there is no room for the radioactive molecules.
While potassium iodide would not protect humans from all
threats of exposure to radioactivity, the National Academy of
Sciences has recommended that the government make it available
to all people under 40 who live near a nuclear power plant.
The state of Massachusetts already provides KI pills to
communities within 10 miles of nuclear power plants.
Fifty-mile radius
But the post-9/11 legislation, signed by former Gov. Jane
Swift, expanded the reach of the law to include towns on Cape
Cod and the islands, which are up to 50 direct miles from the
nuclear plant in Plymouth.
That coverage also includes Massachusetts towns on Cape Ann -
including Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex -
waterfront communities near the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in
New Hampshire.
Before distributing the drugs, however, the state DPH wanted to
have all communities on board to make the best use of bulk
purchases.
''It's really inefficient to do this piecemeal, one community
at a time,'' Suzanne Condon, director of DPH Center for
Emergency Preparedness, said yesterday.
It has taken more than 1 years - and numerous letters - to
sign up all 27 affected communities.
Only in the last few weeks did the state finally hear from
Gloucester, the final town to respond.
With that, the DPH today will send the $371,000 bill to Entergy
to cover the costs of the KI supplies, Condon said. About
$345,000 of that would go for KI supplies on Cape Cod.
Condon had no comment on whether she expected Entergy to
deliver payment. ''We're going to send the bill ... and we'll
see what comes back.''
Entergy officials yesterday were noncommittal.
Times have changed since the legislation was approved just a
couple of years ago, said Carol Wightman, a spokeswoman for the
Pilgrim plant in Plymouth.
At that time, she said, most energy utilities in the state
bought energy from Seabrook in New Hampshire. Now, they don't.
Bill goes to Entergy
And since Entergy owns the only nuclear plant in Massachusetts,
the company would have to cover the bill, even though the
Pilgrim plant is some 50 miles from Cape Ann.
''The entire burden for the funding of the KI would be placed
on Entergy,'' Wightman said.
''We're looking at the current basis and validity of the
assess-ment process being used for KI on the Cape and
Seabrook,'' she said.
Some towns are getting impatient.
In Sandwich, for instance, it's been two years since town
meeting voters endorsed the acceptance of KI tablets. And still
nothing.
''We've been waiting here,'' said David Mason, the Sandwich
health agent.
He says he has had several conversations with the state about
the town's KI supplies.
''We've been told, 'It's coming. It's coming' ... It's
something I think we'd like to have resolved.''
Kevin Dennehy can be reached at kdennehy@capecodonline.com.
(Published: July 13, 2005)
Copyright 2005 Cape Cod Times. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
35 Utne: Fallout: Reflections on the 60th Anniversary of the Trinity Test
By Bill Witherup, Political Affairs
July 14, 2005 Issue
It's been 60 years since the Trinity atomic-bomb test started the
nuclear age, and the world is still haunted by ghosts from
far-off tragedies in Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Chernobyl. Bill
Witherup tells the storyof the lesser-known nuclear demons in his
hometown of Richland, Washington.
A former farming town along the Columbia River plateau, Richland
was sheltered by Manhattan Project secrecy and built by workers
who wanted to be a part of the war effort. Military officials had
farmers moved off their land and usurped part of the Yakama
tribe's reservation for the creation of what today is the Hanford
Nuclear Reservation.
Witherup's father moved his family to Richland and worked at
Hanford manufacturing the plutonium used in the Trinity A-bomb
test at White Sands, New Mexico, and later in Fat Man dropped on
Nagasaki.
Despite the toxic work environment and irregular hours, Hanford
workers believed that the government and various contractors like
DuPont, GE, and United Nuclear had employees' "health in mind."
They also held close the belief that the A-bombs were essential
to ending the war.
After 36 years at Hanford, Witherup's father died of cancer, a
fate met by countless other workers, Native Americans who ate
salmon from the Columbia River, and those downwind from Hanford.
Years after his father's death and the end of the Cold War,
Witherup questions the current maintenance of nuclear weaponry
and what it means for his hometown. On a tour of Hanford's
B-reactor, he reflects that the natural beauty of the Columbia
plateau can't hide its legacy as a graveyard. -- Grace Hanson
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36 Las Vegas RJ: DOE, Nevada attorneys spar over Yucca draft
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
State wants access; Energy Department officials say document
legally shielded
By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for Nevada and the Energy Department
sparred Tuesday over the availability of a Yucca Mountain draft
application, a 5,800-page packet that could provide early clues
about the government's bid to license a nuclear waste site.
The state wants to get access to the draft, which was completed
in July 2004 and reflected in more than 70 chapters much of the
government's research to establish a spent fuel repository 100
miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Charles Fitzpatrick, an attorney for Nevada, said Tuesday the
preliminary document would contain valuable information about
how DOE was planning to design the repository and how it
expected to address key radiation protection standards before
they were thrown out by a federal court last summer.
"It is the most desirable document for Nevada and others to see
to begin work on contentions," Fitzpatrick said. "We are
champing at the bit to see it."
But during three hours of arguments before a three-judge
administrative panel Tuesday, Energy Department lawyer Michael
Shebelskie said the draft application was a legally shielded
document and DOE is not required to hand it over.
Shebelskie said the year-old document was "stale," and would
not reflect the department's thinking on key points when it
finalizes its license application. That date has not yet been
set.
The draft license application has become the latest flash point
in the legal fight between the state and the federal government
over Yucca Mountain.
Fitzpatrick said access to the draft would allow the state to
get a head start on preparing detailed legal objections to be
aired during Nuclear Regulatory Commission license hearings for
the proposed repository.
Fitzpatrick said Nevada experts want to compare the draft
application with the final version, looking for changes they
could probe during licensing hearings.
"The differences would reveal the differences that scientists
had in the program, or that the scientists had with the
politicians, and how they were resolved," he said.
The three-judge panel, assembled by the NRC to resolve early
disputes over Yucca licensing, is expected to rule in the coming
weeks.
At least one of the judges made clear he questioned DOE's
stance. In the interest of avoiding licensing delays, Judge Alan
Rosenthal said the Energy Department should consider sharing the
document. Otherwise, Nevada would have little time to prepare
its objections and would likely ask the NRC for time extensions,
he said.
"What practical advantage other than litigation strategy is
there in not giving them the document at this point?" Rosenthal
said. "It would take a lot of wind out of (Nevada) sails to give
them the application."
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
*****************************************************************
37 Las Vegas RJ: Nuclear fuel reprocessing plan opposed
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Scientist says increasing Yucca Mountain storage would cost less
By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Experts on Tuesday threw more cold water on
desires by Congress to expedite nuclear fuel reprocessing, with
one saying it might be just as economical to carve more burial
space within Yucca Mountain as to deploy costly technology to
manage radioactive waste.
Lawmakers looking to secure a growing role for nuclear energy
have focused on reprocessing technologies that hold promise to
reduce volumes of fuel waste and its radioactivity.
A bill passed by the House earlier this year directs the Energy
Department to settle on a specific reprocessing strategy by
2007.
But at the second hearing in a month, science and industry
experts warned members of a House subcommittee that reprocessing
was not yet positioned for fast leaps forward.
Richard Lester, a nuclear science professor at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, said the expense of reprocessed fuel
would triple the fuel costs of a nuclear plant and increase the
cost of generating electricity by about 20 percent.
Uranium fuel delivered to power plants today for about $43 a
kilogram would have to increase to almost $400 per kilogram for
reprocessing to become competitive, Lester said.
An MIT study concluded that reprocessing "is not an attractive
option for nuclear energy for at least the next 50 years,"
Lester said.
Reprocessing in a new U.S. plant would cost more than $2,000 per
kilogram, said Steve Fetter, dean of the School of Public Policy
at the University of Maryland.
Fetters said there was no economic downside for the government
to delay a commitment to reprocessing. "I would think one could
easily expand Yucca Mountain or open a new facility for the same
fee," Fetters said.
The proposed repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada would be
limited by law to holding 77,000 tons of nuclear waste. But
scientists say the repository could be expanded to hold 120,000
tons or more.
The nuclear energy industry would resist actions that could
raise costs to electricity consumers, said Marvin Fertel, senior
vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
"The consensus in the nuclear energy industry is that nuclear
fuel costs should be kept as low as possible," Fertel said.
He said developing nuclear fuel reprocessing plants would be a
complex and lengthy undertaking. "You're into a couple of
decades to employ the facilities you want, even if the economics
are what you want."
Subcommittee chairwoman Judy Biggert, R-Ill., said she would
not rule out federal subsidies for reprocessing. She pointed to
tax credits that are offered to developers of wind and solar
power.
"Let's face it, the federal government does a lot that isn't
economical, often because doing so is in the best interest of
the nation for other reasons," Biggert said.
Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal
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38 RIA Novosti Urgent: 16,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel stored in Russia
14/07/2005
MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - Sixteen thousand metric tons of
spent nuclear fuel is currently stored in Russia, Yevgeny
Kudryavtsev, the head of the Industry and Nuclear Materials
Department at the Federal Nuclear Energy Agency, said at a
nuclear issues conference Wednesday.
Kudryavtsev said 11 high-power RMBK-type energy units, nine
water-cooled VVER-1000 and six VVER-440 reactors produce 750
metric tons of spent fuel a year.
2005 "RIA Novosti"
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39 RIA Novosti: Russia already has 16,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel
14/07/2005
MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia already has 16,000 metric
tons of spent nuclear fuel, an official from the Rosatom federal
agency for nuclear energy said Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference on comprehensive approaches to the
nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear non-proliferation, Rosatom
representative Yevgeny Kudryavtsev said that 11 power units from
high-power pressure-tube reactors and 15 power units from water
cooled power reactors processed 750 tons of spent nuclear fuel a
year.
Kudryavtsev also said that Russia would receive 24,000 metric
tons of spent nuclear fuel for storage by 2015. He said, "The
geological isolation of the fuel (until 2015) will cost $10
billion, and storage will cost $105.01 million a year." He added
that it was therefore necessary to consider how to optimize
spending on the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel.
"We are now looking for alternative technologies for processing
spent nuclear fuel and we are investigating the application of
new compact technologies for disposing of the fuel," Kudryavtsev
said.
He said that every ton of processed spent nuclear fuel produced
100 kg of spent nuclear fuel concentrate for long-term storage
in mines and up to 900 kg of regenerated uranium.
Kudryavtsev said the mining and chemical plant (in
Zheleznogorsk, 50 km south of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia) was the best
place for disposing of and storing spent nuclear fuel at the
international level.
"All the nuclear storage platforms at the plant are locked in a
mountain. It has a good transportation infrastructure and well
trained personnel," said Kudryavtsev.
Participants in the conference, which began in Moscow on
Wednesday, are discussing the technological viability of
creating an international center for handling spent nuclear fuel
at the Zheleznogorsk plant.
2005 "RIA Novosti"
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40 Las Vegas SUN: Three-judge panel to rule on license application release
Today: July 13, 2005 at 10:0:17 PDT
By Suzanne Struglinski
SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- A three-judge panel will decide if the Energy
Department has to release the draft license application for the
Yucca Mountain project after hearing largely semantic arguments
made Tuesday.
Nevada wants the draft to learn more about the department's
plans for the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca, 90
miles northwest of Las Vegas. The department does not believe
the draft application qualifies as a document that has to be
released.
Attorneys for the state and the Energy Department argued before
Atomic Safety Licensing Board, an administrative court within
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nevada lawyers argued that
once Bechtel, the project's main contractor, finished the draft
and department management began reviewing it last year, it
qualifies under commission rules as a document that should be
made public.
But Attorney Michael Shebelskie of the law firm Hunton
&Williams, which represents the Energy Department, argued that
what Bechtel delivered was not a final document and is still in
various stages of review. He said official review, which would
qualify the document be made public under commission rules, did
not take place. Instead, department officials just took "sneak
previews" of the draft or were asked for feedback.
Attorney Charles Fitzpatrick, a partner of the Virginia firm
that represents the state on Yucca issues, noted that the
department was going to file its license application in
December, but former Yucca chief Margaret Chu said in late
November that the application would not be turned in on that
schedule. Chu and other project officials had noted the
application progress and their reviews of the draft prior to the
department's announcement it would not meet its deadline.
"To suggest this was just a mere glance when a monumental tome
was going to be delivered in December it not credible,"
Fitzpatrick said.
During the arguments, Fitzpatrick called the draft "the most
desirable document."
Nevada wants the draft license application to see what final
decision the department had prepared for the final version.
Decisions on the repository's exact design, safety features and
other issues would only be made in the application, so a draft
would hold a least clues to where the department was going with
the project.
"We want to know how they treated (the time) post 10,000
years," said attorney Joe Egan, Fitzpatrick's partner. "This was
done at a time when post 10,000 years was not legally important."
Last year, a federal court said the Environmental Protection
Agency has to redo the project's 10,000-year radiation
protection standard. Bechtel, the project's main contractor,
completed the draft application the state wants while the
10,000-year standard was still in place. The EPA estimates it
will have a proposed new standard in September.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
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41 Las Vegas SUN: Key House lawmaker's bill aims to speed Yucca
Today: July 13, 2005 at 11:14:16 PDT
Barton's proposal could force 10,000-year radiation standard
By Benjamin Grove
SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF
WASHINGTON -- A key House lawmaker said he plans to introduce a
bill that could mandate a 10,000-year radiation standard for
Yucca Mountain.
The bill, to be unveiled by House Energy Committee Chairman Joe
Barton, R-Texas, could include a number of other changes that
would amount to an overhaul of the nation's nuclear waste
policy, which since 1987 has focused on developing an
underground repository at Yucca Mountain for the nation's most
radioactive waste.
Barton intends to pursue a comprehensive nuclear waste bill in
the fall, he told the Sun on Tuesday. In addition to the
radiation standard provision, Barton said he may include several
other provisions designed to speed the completion of Yucca
Mountain -- proposals that have drawn strong opposition from
Nevada lawmakers.
Barton, a leading advocate of nuclear power and Yucca Mountain
in Congress, said his bill also could:
Devise a plan for storing nuclear waste at temporary storage
sites while Yucca Mountain is being developed.
Take Yucca Mountain "off budget," which would allow the Energy
Department to more freely access a national nuclear waste fund
outside the annual spending constraints of the congressional
budget process.
The fund has been fed for years by a special tax paid by users
of nuclear power-generated electricity, and nuclear utility
companies say the money should flow more freely toward its
purpose -- constructing a permanent waste repository at Yucca.
All three of the proposals have been floated previously by
pro-Yucca lawmakers, and met with limited success. The proposal
to set the radiation standard would essentially overturn a court
ruling that handed the project a serious setback last year.
But there is always a chance the GOP-controlled Congress could
embrace the proposals given another chance, Rep. Shelley
Berkley, D-Nev., said.
"It's payback time for the millions of dollars that were spent
by the nuclear industry in predominantly Republican districts,"
Berkley said.
But Nevada's GOP House members said the three proposals would
continue to be a tough sell in the House, despite a number of
lawmakers who support Yucca Mountain.
The House Budget Committee has no appetite for taking Yucca off
budget, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said.
"It takes away our congressional oversight of taxpayer-dollar
expenditures, which no one believes is a good idea," Gibbons
said.
Nuclear industry leaders have said the proposal does not strip
away oversight, just artificial annual budget caps.
But Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said changing Yucca funding rules
would be a "major step in the wrong direction," at a time when
"red flags" have been raised about Yucca's viability as a
repository site.
Porter is leading a House investigation of Yucca program
e-mails that suggest some quality assurance documents were
falsified. The program for years has been plagued by budget
shortfalls, delays and controversy about scientific research at
the site.
The Barton legislation would not stand much of a chance in the
Senate, either, aides to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nev., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said.
"It sounds like a campaign letter to the nuclear industry,"
Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said.
Any legislation designed to speed Yucca is "dead on arrival as
far as we're concerned," Ensign spokesman Jack Finn said.
The proposal to spend $10 million to launch a program to
construct a temporary government waste site, or sites, was
included in a House bill this year, but not embraced by the
Senate. Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M.,
a champion of the nuclear industry, has said the interim site
proposal is a worthy plan, but not as it was proposed in limited
scope and funding this year.
Nevada lawmakers oppose developing interim sites, in part due
to what they consider transportation risks, although the nuclear
industry says waste transportation is safe.
"We have done nothing to prepare for the transportation of
deadly, highly toxic materials," Berkley said.
The proposal that Congress set a radiation standard for Yucca
Mountain has quietly been under consideration in Congress since
July 2004 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit threw out the 10,000-year standard set by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
The court said that standard, which sets a limit on the amount
of radiation that could escape the repository for 10,000 years,
was not in line with stricter standards recommended by the
National Academy of Sciences.
The court offered two options: Congress could set a new
standard, or the EPA could issue a new one more in line with the
academy. After intensive review, the EPA is currently preparing
to release a new standard in response to the court ruling.
But Barton said congressional action is still on the table.
"I want to look at all the research and the data, but it's
something I might consider," Barton said.
Nevada lawmakers said that legislating a new standard in
Congress would circumvent the EPA's attempt to set a safe
science-based standard. They said it would also re-write the
federal law that dictates that the EPA, in concert with National
Academy experts, should set a safe standard.
"It's sort of what we have been saying all along -- that they
are just changing the rules to make it (Yucca) work," Hafen said.
Meanwhile nuclear industry lobbyists are pushing yet a fourth
proposal for Barton to consider: establish a board to manage
Yucca Mountain, somewhat independent of the Energy Department,
which has run the program since its inception.
A plan to establish a government-chartered corporation that
would have some independence to oversee the $58 billion Yucca
program has been advocated by some Yucca backers for years.
Martez Norris, executive director of the Nuclear Waste Strategy
Coalition, which strongly advocates Yucca, said the group has
"long-supported" having a quasi-government company manage the
repository.
"Eventually it has to come out of the hands of DOE (Energy
Department)," said Norris, who is also a member of the Yucca
Mountain Task Force, a new pro-Yucca industry and utility lobby
group. "It is not in the construction business or the operations
business, it is in the research business."
Nevada lawmakers dismissed the Yucca-management idea. Gibbons
called it a "gimmick to move Yucca Mountain along."
Nuclear industry lobbyists have been eager to implement Yucca
legislation this year, given the support they enjoy from
President Bush and Republican congressional leaders.
Barton met recently to discuss options for Yucca Mountain
legislation with David Wright and Charles Pray, co-chairmen of
the Yucca Mountain Task Force, and David Blee, executive
director of the U.S. Transport Council, a pro-Yucca group that
touts the shipping industry's safe record of nuclear waste
transportation.
Wright said the task force's top priority is for Congress to
take Yucca off-budget.
"He did not tell us he had a four-point plan," Wright said. "He
told us first and foremost he wanted to get through the energy
bill conference. He felt though that Yucca Mountain resolutions
needed to come too."
Although conversations with Barton did not focus on legislative
options to keep the 10,000-year standard in place, task force
members believe that re-securing the standard would allow the
license application process to continue, Norris said.
Norris also said Barton understands that it is important for
the project to have more access to funding, free from annual
congressional budget caps.
"You don't run any business like that, where you don't know
what funding you will get from year to year," she said.
As for interim storage, Wright said the task force wants Yucca
to remain an option to hold waste before it could officially
move into the repository. Right now, federal law prohibits Yucca
from holding waste temporarily so Congress would have to change
that law to allow waste to be moved there.
The task force supports that concept but it did not come up
during the meeting with Barton, Wright said.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
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42 Baltic Times: Neighbors uneasy about radioactive waste proposal
NEWS FROM ESTONIA,LATVIA AND LITHUANIA
13.07.2005
By Milda Seputyte
VILNIUS - Lithuania’s plan to establish a “short-term”
radioactive waste repository near the Latvian-Lithuanian border
has caused uproar among Latvians.
Experts said that unrest over the nuclear dump, envisioned in
the vicinity of Lithuania’s Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant,
could be due to a lack of information. Yet this hasn’t cooled
Latvian tempers, including Environment Minister Raimonds Vejonis.
The Latvian minister sent a letter to his Lithuanian colleagues
last week urging them to find another site for low and medium
radioactivity waste – somewhere farther from the Latvian
border.
In the letter, the minister explained that the area was being
considered as a strategic site for rural tourism.
After several years of research, Lithuania decided to construct
the repository in either Galilauke or Apvardai, both of which
are located near Ignalina and considered to be the most secure
sites. So-called “short-term” radioactive waste would be
stored in a barrow-shaped repository that sits above ground and
kept under close supervision for 300 years, after which the
waste ceases to be a risk.
But Galilauke is located only 12 kilometers from the Latvian
border.
Municipal authorities in Daugavpils, which is some 30 kilometers
from Ignalina, also expressed concern over the repository and
demanded compensation if such a site were established.
“This isn’t the first time we have experienced trouble from
our Lithuanian neighbors. We would appreciate it if they
compiled the waste farther from Latvia,” Latvian MP Augusts
Brigmanis was quoted as saying by the Lithuanian media.
With Latvian parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2006,
politicians could use the issue for dividends.
“It seems as if Latvians are manipulating the information with
parliamentary elections coming up this autumn,” Lithuanian
Environment Ministry representative Vitalijus Auglys told The
Baltic Times. “In his letter, Latvia’s minister suggested
finding another site for the repository – for instance, in the
Zarasai region – but that is almost closer to the border.”
Lithuania’s radioactive waste management agency has already
concluded that there isn’t a better waste site than the
Ignalina region. “It was a logical decision to establish the
repository near Ignalina, as it’s a sparsely populated area
and, in terms of transportation, is close to the nuclear
plant,” said Stasys Motiejunas, radioactive waste manager.
“On top of that, residents are more favorable to the idea
since they are used to living close to the nuclear plant.”
Lithuanian environmentalists, who have long advocated
decommissioning the Ignalina plant, implied that the
miscommunication between ministries could be a result of
insufficient public information.
“We shouldn’t confuse this repository with spent nuclear
fuel waste. Burial of low and intermediate level short-term
radioactive waste is an essential stage of the process,” said
Saulius Piksrys, head of the NGO Atgaja. “We support the
construction of such a repository when it’s established
according to the latest advancements in technology.”
Environmentalists have also been urging officials and the media
to stop frightening society.
“It seems that the misunderstanding is due to a lack of
information. If the Ignalina plant, which is 1,000 times more
dangerous than the burial site, hasn’t caused any trouble so
far, why should the repository? And it’s absurd that such a
site could suddenly affect tourism,” Piksrys said.
The Environment Ministry has only started to discuss the
project, which will be launched in three years. What’s more,
Parliamentary Chairman Arturas Paulauskas reportedly learned
about the nuclear repository from journalists. He said that,
previously, he had only heard rumors about the idea but didn’t
take them seriously.
“I only heard about this a few months ago. I was told that
such information was rumor, and that Lithuania would never go
forward [with the nuclear waste project]. Allegedly, all of this
was a result of fantasy,” Paulauskas was quoted as saying.
The repository will be located not only near the border, but
also about half a kilometer from Lake Druksciai – the biggest
in the country. A security area will encircle the waste parcel
that should span up to some three hectares and 300 meters.
Approximately 50 cellars with multi-barrier systems will be
built on the field, and only hardened radioactive waste will be
transported from Ignalina.
Several barriers of water-resistant clay and cement have also
been designed to safeguard the ferroconcrete cellars.
“If even one mistake is made, the other barriers will
compensate for it,” Motiejunas said.
Construction is expected to begin in 2008, and the repository
will be operative in 2012. Advanced search Back Account Logout
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43 Pahrump Valley Times: Bechtel SAIC changes Yucca's top leadership
July 13, 2005
BY STEVE TETREAULT PVT WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Bechtel SAIC, the company that operates the Yucca
Mountain Project for the federal government, disclosed a change
in top leadership on Thursday.
John Mitchell will leave as president and general manager on
Aug. 12, a company spokesman confirmed. Ted Feigenbaum, who most
recently headed the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co., will succeed
him.
In an e-mail to employees last week, Mitchell said he would
receive a new assignment from parent company Bechtel National
Inc. Platts Nuclear Publications, an energy newsletter group,
first reported his departure from the nuclear waste program.
Mitchell's departure was not related to delays that caused the
Department of Energy to postpone its license application to
build a spent nuclear fuel repository at the Nevada site, in Nye
County approximately 20 miles from Beatty and Amargosa Valley,
and roughly 50 miles from Pahrump, the county's population
center, Bechtel SAIC spokesman Jason Bohne said.
Bechtel National customarily moves its managers every two or
three years, Bohne said. Mitchell was appointed head of the
Yucca Mountain contract in December of 2002, when the program
shifted focus to preparing a comprehensive license application.
"That puts him in the time span to move," Bohne said. "John
accomplished what Bechtel wanted to accomplish."
Besides heading Maine Yankee, Feigenbaum oversaw operations at
the nuclear plant in Seabrook, N.H., from 1992 to 2002. He also
held senior positions at the New Hampshire Yankee nuclear
utility.
Feigenbaum, who was in Las Vegas for meetings last week, was
hired because of his experience running nuclear facilities that
are regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Bohne said.
The Yucca project is headed into similar waters when its license
application is judged at the NRC.
Bechtel SAIC employs about 1,300 workers on the Energy
Department program, most of them based in Las Vegas. The company
began work under a $3.1 billion Yucca Mountain management
contract in February 2001. The contract covered five years, with
options totaling another five years.
For comment or questions, please e-mail
webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com
Copyright Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2005
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44 NRC: Notice of Availability of Interim Staff Guidance Documents for
FR Doc E5-3678
[Federal Register: July 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 132)]
[Notices] [Page 40068-40069] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12jy05-104]
Spent Fuel Storage Casks AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
[[Page 40069]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Brown, Materials Engineer,
Structural and Materials Section, Spent Fuel Project Office,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20005-0001. telephone:
(301) 415-1988; fax number: (301) 415-8555; e-mail: clb@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Introduction The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) prepares draft Interim Staff Guidance (ISG)
documents for spent fuel storage or transportation casks or
radioactive materials transportation package designs.
These ISG documents provide clarifying guidance to the NRC staff
when reviewing licensee integrated safety analyses, license
applications or amendment requests or other related licensing.
The NRC is soliciting public comments on Draft ISG-21, ``Use of
Computational Modeling Software,'' which will be considered in
the final version or subsequent revisions.
II. Summary The purpose of this notice is to provide the public
an opportunity to review and comment on the Draft Interim Staff
Guidance-21 on the use of Computational Modeling Software (CMS)
by an applicant. Draft Interim Staff Guidance-21, Revision 0,
provides guidance to NRC staff on how to review computational
modeling methods used by an applicant as part of, and in support
of, the structural and thermal technical bases for a spent fuel
storage or transportation cask or radioactive materials
transportation package design.
III. Further Information Documents related to this action are
available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ doc-collections/isg/
spent-fuel.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents.
The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this
notice are provided in the following table. If you do not have
access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room
(PDR) Reference staff at 1-800- 397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by
e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
------- ADAMS accession Interim staff guidance No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
------- Interim Staff Guidance-21..............................
ML051710071
-----------------------------------------------------------------
------- These documents may also be viewed electronically on the
public computers located at the NRC's PDR, O 1 F21, One White
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR
reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Comments
and questions on the draft SFPO ISG-21 should be directed to the
NRC contact listed below by August 11, 2005. Comments received
after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so,
but assurance of consideration cannot be given to comments
received after this date. Christopher Brown, Materials Engineer,
Structural and Materials Section, Spent Fuel Project Office,
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20005-0001.
Comments can also be submitted by telephone, fax, or e-mail,
which are as follows: telephone: (301) 415-1988; fax number:
(301) 415-8555; e-mail: clb@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland
this 29th day of June, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Gordon Bjorkman, Chief, Structural and Materials Section, Spent
Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E5-3678 Filed 7-11-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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45 NRC: Portland General Electric Company; Trojan Independent Spent Fuel
FR Doc E5-3681
[Federal Register: July 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 132)]
[Notices] [Page 40063-40064] From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr12jy05-100]
Storage Installation; Notice of Docketing of Materials License
No. SNM- 2509; Amendment Application AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. ACTION: License amendment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill S. Caverly, Project
Manager, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555. Telephone: (301) 415-6699; fax number:
(301) 415-8555; e-mail: jsc1@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By letter dated May 23, 2005, Portland
General Electric Company (PGEC) submitted an application to the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission), in
accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR) 72.48(c)(2) and 10 CFR 72.56, requesting an amendment of the
Trojan Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)
license for the ISFSI located in Columbia County, Oregon. PGEC
proposes to revise the designated controlled area at the ISFSI
such that the boundary would be moved from 300 meters from the
edge of the storage pad to 200 meters from the edge of the
storage pad.
This application was docketed under 10 CFR part 72; the ISFSI
Docket No. is 72-17. Upon approval of the Commission, the Trojan
ISFSI License, No. SNM-2509, Safety Analysis would be amended to
allow this action.
The Commission may issue either a notice of hearing or a notice
of proposed action and opportunity for hearing in accordance with
10 CFR 72.46(b)(1) regarding the proposed amendment or, if a
determination is made that the proposed amendment does not
present a genuine issue as to whether public health and safety
will be significantly affected, take immediate action on the
proposed amendment in accordance with 10 CFR 72.46(b)(2) and
provide notice of the action taken and an opportunity for
interested persons to request a hearing on whether the action
should be rescinded or modified.
For further details with respect to this amendment, see the
application dated May 23, 2005, which is publically available in
the records component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS). The NRC maintains ADAMS, which
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. These
documents may be accessed through the NRC's Public Electronic
Reading Room on the Internet at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. If you do not have
access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the
documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room
Reference staff at 1-800- 397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov.
[[Page 40064]] Dated in Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of
June, 2005.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jill S. Caverly, Project Manager, Licensing Section, Spent Fuel
Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E5-3681 Filed 7-11-05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
*****************************************************************
46
Las Vegas SUN: Porter sets final deadline for release of Yucca
documents
Return to the referring page.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Las Vegas SUN
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Today: July 13, 2005 at 18:19:34 PDT
Porter sets final deadline for release of Yucca documents
By ERICA WERNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Jon Porter set a new deadline Wednesday
for the Energy Department to release documents related to
potential paperwork fraud on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste
dump.
If the department doesn't produce the documents by Monday - the
date specified in a letter Porter sent to Energy Secretary
Samuel Bodman - the congressman will seek to subpoena them, said
Chad Bungard, deputy staff director and chief counsel for the
congressional subcommittee Porter chairs.
Porter's panel, a subcommittee of the House Government Reform
Committee, has been investigating e-mails suggesting government
scientists on the dump project falsified documents and fudged
numbers. He has been pressing the Energy Department to release
various documents that could assist in the probe, but the
department has resisted.
In a June 24 letter, the department's acting general counsel,
Eric Fygi, proposed making the documents available for committee
staff to look at but not remove. He said the department was
concerned about Porter's subcommittee releasing the documents to
the public.
At a hearing late last month, Porter said he would give the
Energy Department two more weeks to comply with the document
request - a deadline that passed Wednesday. The congressman
decided to move the deadline back a few more days.
Porter, R-Nev., also indicated he was willing to work with the
department regarding concerns about the documents being
released.
Energy Department spokesman Allen Benson said the agency
received the letter and was reviewing it.
--
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Return to the referring page.
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47 deepikaglobal.com: Conference to discuss reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
Thursday, July 14, 2005
MOSCOW, July 13 (UNI) Reprocessing and utilization of sixteen
thousand metric tons of spent nuclear fuel currently stored in
Russia will be discussed conference starting today and running
through Friday, said Alexander Rumyantsev, head of the Russia's
Federal Agency for Nuclear Power Rosatom.
The conference, organized by Rosatom with the support of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will focus on
creating an international center for spent nuclear fuel
management, using the state-owned Mining and Chemical Processing
Plant, an underground facility for spent nuclear fuel storage,
dumping, reprocessing and transportation, near Krasnoyarsk in
East Siberia.
For the first time in the last 50 years, ''the spent nuclear
fuel stockpile is equivalent to a 4-storey apartment building,''
Rumyantsev said. 'My prognosis is that, if in the next few
centuries the world's spent nuclear fuel goes unprocessed, it
could fill up a soccer field.'' Mr Yevgeny Kudryavtsev, the head
of the Industry and Nuclear Materials Department at the Federal
Nuclear Energy Agency, said at a nuclear issues conference today
that 11 high-power RMBK-type energy units, nine water-cooled
VVER-1000 and six VVER-440 reactors produce 750 metric tons of
spent fuel a year, and 16,000 MT of nuclear fuel is currently
stored in Russia.
''The question of five to seven countries participating in spent
nuclear fuel reprocessing and utilization is being discussed
now,'' Mr Rumyantsev said.
However, IAEA Deputy Director Yuri Sokolov said the exact number
ofcountries interested in founding of an international center
for spent nuclear fuel storage and reprocessing has yet to be
defined.
''We are at the beginning of that road,'' Sokolov said, adding
that some countries are planning to develop their methods of
nuclear power engineering in the near future.
China has a six-gigawatt generating capacity now and intends to
increase it to 40 gigawatts by 2030. India plans to boost its
generating capacity 10-fold in 20 years.
Copyright DeepikaGlobal.com 1997-2003.
*****************************************************************
48 Benson News Sun: Meeting slated for Apache Nitro clean up
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
THELMA GRIMES
News-Sun
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday will be
taking public comment regarding a plan to modify groundwater and
soil cleanup at Apache Nitrogen Products, Inc. in St. David.
In a notice mailed to St. David residents, EPA officials said
the agency will accept comments regarding the plan for the
Apache Powder Superfund Site, and answer questions at the
meeting set Tuesday, July 19, 7 p.m., at St. David School
auditorium, 70 Patton St.
Based on those comments, the EPA, based in San Francisco, will
provide remedies for the cleanup of the southern area shallow
aquifer groundwater and soils at the site.
In the early 1980s, the EPA identified the plant, located seven
miles southeast of Benson, as an environmental problem, and it
was put on the National Priorities List or Superfund list in
1990.
In 1994, the EPA signed what is called a Record of Decision and
issued a list of proposed remedies to improve groundwater and
soil concerns.
The plan was amended in 1997 and again in 2000, and now again in
2005.
Pamela Beilke, Apache's director of technical services, said
ANPI has been working with the EPA on this amendment for several
years.
"This is a milestone for us to pass the most recent record of
decision," she said. "Through several studies and data analysis,
we have been able to gain a better understanding of the aquifer.
This plan will allow a more cost-effective remedy."
Beilke said ANPI is not in violation of any environmental
standards, this is all part of the superfund project that
started in 1994, and will continue for "a number of years."
In the EPA's list of proposed changes for 2005 are:
"Change the remedy for cleanup of Southern Area Groundwater
(contaminated with nitrate and perchlorate) from constructed
wetlands to monitored natural attenuation and continue the use
of institutional controls.
"Change the remedy for contaminated soils in former ponds on the
site from containment with a clay cap to containment with a
native soil cap and include the use of institutional controls.
"Expand EPA's cleanup standards by selecting a groundwater
cleanup standard for perchlorate, a new containment of concern.
"Modify EPA's soils cleanup standards by adopting Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality's risk assessment
procedures, in addition to cleanup levels, to determine the
appropriate final."
Apache Nitrogen manufactures nitric acid, solid and liquid
ammonium nitrate and nitrogenous fertilizer solutions.
The company first began operations in 1922.
Lyndon Denton, Apache Nitrogen director of human resources, said
Tuesday's meeting is an "opportunity" for the public to ask
questions, express concerns and gain a better understanding of
the plan and continued cleanup efforts.
The EPA will also taken written comments through Thursday, Aug.
4.
Copyright 2005Benson News Sun.
*****************************************************************
49 PE.com: EPA awards water grants
| Inland Southern California | San Bernardino Metro
FUNDS: $482,000 is given to Rialto, Colton and Fontana for
perchlorate cleanup.
01:15 AM PDT on Wednesday, July 13, 2005
By MEGHAN LEWIT / The Press-Enterprise
Perchlorate cleanup
The EPA has awarded nearly $500,000 to treat contaminated wells
Money will be split between four water purveyors: West Valley
Water District, Fontana Water Co., and cities of Rialto and
Colton.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $482,000 to
help remove perchlorate from groundwater wells in Rialto, Colton
and Fontana.
The funds will be divided between the West Valley Water
District, Fontana Water Co., and the cities of Rialto and
Colton.
More than 20 wells in the three cities are contaminated by an
underground plume of perchlorate, a water-soluble chemical used
in fireworks, rocket fuel and ammunition.
The EPA money will go toward replacement material for
perchlorate treatment systems, said Anthony "Butch" Araiza,
general manager of the West Valley Water District.
Perchlorate removal costs between $300,000 and $400,000 per well
annually, Araiza said. The district, which serves about half of
Rialto and portions of Fontana and Colton, has put two of its
wells back into service.
Funding for the cleanup has been gathered through a settlement
with the B.F. Goodrich Corp. and state and federal sources, such
as the EPA grant, he said.
"With two wells (in service) it's substantial because it gives
us money to operate without raising rates," Araiza said. "Long
term, the funds we've received to date are a drop in the
bucket."
In Rialto, perchlorate treatment could span years and cost up to
$100 million, said Bill Hunt, a geological consultant with the
city.
Rialto has raised its water rates to help pay for treatment
while the city pursues a lawsuit against the Defense Department
and more than 40 other agencies believed to be responsible for
the contamination. The city's intent is to refund ratepayers
once the lawsuit is settled, Hunt said.
Perchlorate contamination of groundwater in the Rialto-Colton
basin was discovered in 1997.
The city of Rialto contends that the contamination comes from a
north Rialto site that has been used for military and industrial
purposes over the past 50 years.
The EPA expects to provide another $288,700 later this year,
according to a news release issued Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif.
"These funds will help provide clean drinking water to the local
community," Keith Takata, director of the EPA's Superfund
division for the Pacific Southwest Region, said in a statement.
"Ultimately, we expect those responsible for the contamination
to pay."
Ingestion of perchlorate can impair thyroid function and result
in metabolic disorders. More headlines...
2005, The Press-Enterprise Company
*****************************************************************
50 U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board: Reports
NWTRB Reports
Updated July 13, 2005
Note: The list provided below is in reverse chronological
order listing the most recent reports first. These files are
provided in PDF format for reading by Adobe Acrobat reader,
which can be downloaded free from File sizes are provided..
Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy. May 2005.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from
January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2004. During that period,
the Board focused on the Department of Energy's effors to
develop a system for accepting, transporting, and handling
high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel before
disposal in the repository proposed for Yucca Mountain.
Correspondence and related materials are included in the
appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan
for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for 2005, and
its performance evaluation for 2004.
Available as:
Transmittal Letter, Table of Contents &Report (386KB)
Appendicies A thru D (196 KB)
Appendix E (6,312KB)
Appendix F (316KB)
Entire Report (7,033 KB)
Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
December 2004.
This letter and enclosure comprise the Board's second report to
Congress and the Secretary of Energy for calendar year 2004. The
letter briefly summarizes areas where the Board believes the DOE
has made progress, areas requiring attention, and the Board's
priorities for the coming year. The enclosure contains a more
detailed discussion of these topics.
Available as:
Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy (54KB)
Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
May 2004.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from
January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2003. During that period,
the Board continued its evaluation and held meetings on a range
of technical and scientific issues, including seismicity, DOE
plans for transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste, the design and operation of facilities at the
proposed repository site, performance-confirmation activities,
and the potential for localized corrosion. Correspondence and
related materials are included in the appendices to the report
along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years
2004-2009, its performance plans for 2004 and 2005, and its
performance evaluation for 2003.
Available as:
Transmittal Letter, Table of Contents &Report (783KB)
Appendicies A thru D (150 KB)
Appendix E (5,304KB)
Appendix F (1,149KB)
Appendicies G thru J (233KB)
Entire Report (7,044 KB)
Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
December 19, 2003.
This letter and attachments constitutes the Board's second
report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy for calendar year
2003. This letter report is composed of letters on localized
corrosion sent to the director of the Office of Civilian
Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) on October 21, 2003, and
November 25, 2003.
Available as:
(433KB)
Board Technical Report on Localized Corrosion.
November 25, 2003.
Technical report supporting Board conclusions in October 21,
2003 letter to the DOE related to the potential for localized
corrosion of waste packages during the thermal pulse.
Available as:
(239KB)
Report to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress.
April 2003.
This report summarizes the Board's major activities between
January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2002. During this period, the
Board focused on evaluating the technical basis of the DOE's
work related to analyzing a planned repository site at Yucca
Mountain in Nevada. Included in an appendix to the report are
letters to the DOE related to technical issues identified by the
Board as part of its ongoing review in 2002. Also included in
the appendices are the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years
2003-2008, its performance plans for FY 2003 and FY 2004, and
its performance evaluation for FY 2002.
Available as:
(244KB)
(177KB)
(3.56MB)
(254KB)
Report to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress.
April 2002.
This report summarizes the Board's major activities between
February 1, 2001, and January 31, 2002. During this period, the
Board focused on evaluating the technical basis of the DOE's
work related to a site recommendation, including the DOE's
characterization of the Yucca Mountain site, the DOE's design of
the repository and waste package, and the DOE's estimates of how
a repository system developed at the site might perform. The
report includes a description of activities undertaken by the
Board in developing its assessment of the technical basis for
the DOE's current performance estimates.
Available as:
(388K)
(200K)
(1.8M)
(764K)
(372K)
Letter report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
January 24, 2002.
Letter report summarizing the Board's evaluation of the DOE's
technical and scientific investigation of the Yucca Mountain
site.
Available as:
(135K)
Proceedings from an International Workshop on Long-Term
Extrapolation of Passive Behavior, July 19-20, 2001, Arlington,
Virginia.
December 2001.
The Board conducted a workshop on issues related to predicting
corrosion behavior for periods of unprecedented duration. The
workshop was held on July 19 and 20, 2001, in Arlington,
Virginia. The workshop consisted of a panel of 3 Board members
and 14 internationally recognized corrosion scientists, 8 of
whom were from outside the United States. Following the
workshop, most panelists submitted brief papers giving their
views on issues related to predicting very long term corrosion.
This publication is a compilation of those submissions.
Available as:
(2.4M)
Report to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress.
April 2001.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities in
calendar year 2000. During 2000, the Board identified four
priority areas for evaluating the potential repository at Yucca
Mountain. The areas are the following:
+ meaningful quantification of conservatisms and uncertainties
in the DOE's performance assessments
+ progress in understanding the underlying fundamental
processes involved in predicting the rate of waste package
corrosion
+ an evaluation and a comparison of the base-case repository
design with a low-temperature design
+ development of multiple lines of evidence to support the
safety case of the proposed repository, the lines of evidence
being derived independently of performance assessment and thus
not being subject to the limitations of performance assessment.
The report summarizes the Board's views on each priority area. A
more detailed discussion of the priorities can be found in
letters to the DOE included among the appendices to the report.
Available as:
(201K)
(58K)
(6M)
(92K)
Report by letter to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress.
December 2000.
This report, in the form of a letter, presents a brief update of
the Board's views on the status of the DOE program.
Available as:
Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
April 2000.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities in
calendar year 1999. Among the activities discussed in the report
is the Boards 1999 review of the DOEs viability assessment
(VA) of the Yucca Mountain site. The Boards evaluation of the
VA concludes that Yucca Mountain continues to warrant study as
the candidate site for a permanent geologic repository and that
work should proceed to support a decision on whether to
recommend the site for repository development. The Board
suggests that the 2001 date for a decision is very ambitious,
and focused study should continue on natural and engineered
barriers. The Board states that a credible technical basis does
not currently exist for the above-boiling repository design
included in the VA. The Board recommends evaluation of
alternative repository designs, including lower-temperature
designs, as a potential way to help reduce the significance of
uncertainties related to predictions of repository performance.
Available as:
(640K)
(1.5M)
(138K)
(6.8M)
Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
April 1999.
In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities during
calendar year 1998. The report discusses the research needs
identified in the DOEs recently issued Viability Assessment of
the Yucca Mountain site, including plans to gather information
on the amount of water that will eventually seep into repository
drifts, whether formations under the repository will retard the
migration of radionuclides, the flow-and-transport properties of
the groundwater that lies approximately 200 meters beneath the
repository horizon, and long-term corrosion rates of materials
that may be used for the waste packages. The report describes
other activities undertaken by the Board in 1998, including a
review of the hypothesis that there were hydrothermal upwellings
at Yucca Mountain, a workshop held to increase understanding of
the range of expert opinion on waste package materials, and a
review of the DOEs draft environmental impact statement for the
Yucca Mountain site.
Available as:
(127K)
(1.5M)
(89K)
(107K)
(2.4M)
Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy: Moving
Beyond the Viability Assessment.
April 1999.
In its report, the Board offers its views on the DOEs December
1998 Viability-Assessment of the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada.
The Yucca Mountain site is being characterized to determine its
suitability as the location of a permanent repository for
disposing of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive
waste. The Board discusses the need to address key uncertainties
that remain about the site, including the performance of the
engineered and natural barriers. The Board addresses the DOEs
plans for reducing those uncertainties and suggests that
consideration be given to alternative repository designs,
including ventilated low-temperature designs that have the
potential to reduce uncertainties and simplify the analytical
bases for determining site suitably and for licensing. The Board
also comments on the DOEs total system performance assessment,
the analytical tool that pulls together information on the
performance of the repository system.
Available as:
(36K)
Report to the U.S. Congress and The Secretary of Energy.
November 1998.
In its report, the Board offers its views on the direction of
future scientific and technical research under way and planned
by the DOE as part of its program for characterizing a site at
Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as a potential repository for spent fuel
and high-level radioactive waste. The Board discusses some of
the remaining key scientific and technical uncertainties related
to performance of a potential repository. The Boards report
addresses some of these uncertainties by examining information
about the proposed repository system presented to it in meetings
and other technical exchanges. The Board considers and comments
on some of the important connections between the sites natural
properties and the current designs for the waste package and
other engineered features of the repository.
Available as:
(104K)
(329K)
(101K)
(68K)
(176K)
(39K)
Board Completes Review of Material on Hydrothermal Activity.
July 24, 1998.
This series of documents concerns the Boards review of material
related to Mr. Jerry Szymanskis hypothesis of ongoing,
intermittent hydrothermal activity at Yucca Mountain and large
earthquake-induced changes in the water table there. The series
includes a cover letter, the Boards review, and the reports of
the four consultants the Board contracted with to assist in the
review.
Available as:
1997 Findings and Recommendations.
April 1998.
This report details the Boards activities in 1997 and covers,
among other things, the DOEs viability assessment, due later
this year; underground exploration of the candidate repository
site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; thermal testing underway at the
site; what happens when radioactive waste reaches the water
table beneath Yucca Mountain; transportation of spent fuel; and
the use of expert judgment. The Board makes four recommendations
in the report concerning (1) the need for the DOE to begin now
to develop alternative design concepts for a repository, (2) the
need for the DOE to include estimates of the likely variation in
doses for alternative candidate critical groups in its interim
performance measure for Yucca Mountain, (3) the need for the DOE
to evaluate whether site-specific biosphere data is needed for
license application, and (4) the need for the DOE to make full
and effective use of formally elicited expert judgment.
Available as:
Report by letter to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress.
December 23, 1997.
This report, in the form of a letter, addresses several key
issues, including the DOEs viability assessment of the Yucca
Mountain site, design of the potential repository and waste
package, the total system performance assessment, and the
enhanced characterization of the repository block (east-west
crossing).
Available as:
Report to the U.S. Congress and The Secretary of Energy: 1996
Findings and Recommendations.
March 1997.
This report summarizes Board activities during 1996. Chapter 1
provides an overview of the Department of Energys high-level
nuclear waste management program from the Boards perspective,
including the viability assessment, program status, and progress
in exploration and testing. The chapter ends with conclusions
and recommendations. Chapter 2 examines the three technical
issues-hydrology, radionuclide transport, and performance
assessment-and provides conclusions and recommendations. Chapter
3 deals with design , including the concept for underground
operations, repository layout and design alternatives,
construction planning, thermal loading, and engineered barriers.
The Board also makes conclusions and recommendations. Chapter 4
provides an overview of recent Board activities, including the
international exchange of information, the Boards visit to the
River Mountains tunnel, and a presentation to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. Appendices include information on Board
members, the organization of the Boards panels, meetings held
in 1996 and scheduled for 1997, the DOEs responses to previous
Board recommendations, a list of Board publications, references
for the report, and a glossary of technical terms.
Available as:
Nuclear Waste Management in the United States - The Board's
Perspective.
June 1996.
This publication was developed from remarks made by Dr. John
Cantlon, Chairman of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board,
at Topseal 96, an international conference on nuclear waste
management and disposal. The meeting was sponsored by the
Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) and the
European Nuclear Society. The publication highlights the Boards
views on the status of the U.S. program for management and
disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel and provides a brief
overview of the programs organization. It summarizes the DOEs
efforts to characterize the Yucca Mountain site and to develop a
waste isolation strategy for the site. The publication also
outlines legislative and regulatory changes under consideration
at that time and the Boards views on the technical implications
of those possible changes.
Available as:
Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy: 1995
Findings and Recommendations.
April 1996.
This report summarizes Board activities during 1995. Chapter 1
provides an overview of the DOE's high-level waste management
program, including highlights, current status, legislative
issues, milestones, and recommendations. Chapter 2 reports on
Board Panel activities and Chapter 3 provides information on new
Board members, meetings attended, interactions with Congress and
congressional staff, Board presentations to other organizations,
interactions with foreign programs, and a review of the Boards
report on interim storage of spent nuclear fuel. Appendices
include Board testimony and statements before Congress, Board
correspondence of note, and the Department of Energys responses
to recommendations in previous Board reports.
Available as:
Disposal and Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel - Finding the Right
Balance.
March 1996.
This special report caps more than two years of study and
analysis by the Board into the issues surrounding the need for
interim storage of commercial spent nuclear fuel and the
advisability and timing of the development of a federal
centralized storage facility. The Board concludes in the report
that the DOEs efforts should remain focused on permanent
geologic disposal and the site investigations at Yucca Mountain,
Nevada; that planning for a federal centralized spent fuel
storage facility and the required transportation infrastructure
be begun now, but actual construction delayed until after a
site-suitability decision is made about the Yucca Mountain site;
that storage should be developed incrementally; that limited,
emergency backup storage capacity be authorized at an existing
nuclear facility; and that, if the Yucca Mountain site proves
unacceptable for repository development, other potential sites
for both centralized storage and disposal be considered.
Available as:
Report by letter to the Secretary of Energy and the Congress.
December 13, 1995.
This report, in the form of a letter, addresses the DOEs
progress in underground exploration with the tunnel boring
machine, advances in the development of a waste isolation
strategy, new work on engineered barriers, and progress being
made in performance assessment.
Available as:
Report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy: 1994
Findings and Recommendations.
March 1995.
This report summarizes Board activities during 1994. It covers
aspects of the DOEs Program Approach, their emerging waste
isolation strategy, and their transportation program. It also
explores the Boards views on minimum exploratory requirements
and thermal-loading issues. The report<->focuses a chapter on
the lessons that have been learned in site assessment from
projects around the world. Another chapter deals with volcanism
and resolution of difficult issues. The Board also details its
observations from its visit to Japan and the Japanese nuclear
waste disposal program. Findings and recommendations in the
report centered around structural geology and geoengineering,
hydrogeology and geochemistry, the engineered barrier system,
and risk and performance analysis.
Available as:
Report to The U.S. Congress and The Secretary of Energy:
January to December 1993.
May 1994.
This report summarizes Board activities primarily during 1993.
It reviews the nuclear waste disposal programs of Belgium,
France, and the United Kingdom; elaborates on the Boards
understanding of the radiation protection standards being
reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences; and, using future
climates as an example, examines the DOEs approach to
resolving difficult issues. Recommendations center on the use
of a systems approach in all of OCRWMs programs, prioritization
of site-suitability activities, appropriate use of total system
performance assessment and expert judgment, and the dynamics of
the Yucca Mountain ecosystem.
Available as:
Letter Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
February 1994.
This report is issued in letter format due to impending
legislative hearings on the DOEs fiscal year 1995 budget and
new funding mechanisms sought by the Secretary of Energy. The
8-page report (ninth in the NWTRB series) restates a
recommendation made in the Boards Special Report, that an
independent review of the OCRWMs management and organizational
structure be initiated as soon as possible. Also, it adds two
additional recommendations: ensure sufficient and reliable
funding for site characterization and performance assessment,
whether the program budget remains level or is increased, and
build on the Secretary of Energys new public involvement
initiative by expanding current efforts to integrate the views
of the various stakeholders during the decision-making
process-not afterward.
Available as:
Underground Exploration and Testing at Yucca Mountain A Report
to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
October 1993.
This report (eighth in the NWTRB series) focuses on the
exploratory studies facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: the
conceptual design, planned exploration and testing, and
excavation plans and schedules. In addition to a number of
detailed recommendations, the Board makes three general
recommendations. First, the DOE should develop a comprehensive
strategy that integrates exploration and testing priorities with
the design and excavation approach for the exploratory facility.
Second, underground thermal testing should be resumed as soon as
possible. Third, the DOE should establish a geoengineering board
with expertise in the engineering, construction, and management
of large underground projects.
Available as:
Special Report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy.
March 1993.
The Boards seventh report provides a nontechnical approach for
those not familiar with the details of the DOEs high-level
nuclear waste management program. It highlights three important
policy issues: the program is driven by unrealistic deadlines,
there is no integrated waste management plan, and program
management needs improvement. The Board makes three specific
recommendations: amend the current schedule to include realistic
intermediate milestones; develop a comprehensive,
well-integrated plan for the overall management of all spent
nuclear fuel and high-level defense waste from generation to
disposal; and implement an independent evaluation of the Office
of Civilian Radioactive Waste Managements (OCRWM) organization
and management. These recommendations should be implemented
without slowing the progress of site-characterization activities
at Yucca Mountain.
Available as:
Sixth Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of
Energy.
December 1992.
The sixth report begins by summarizing recent Board activities,
congressional testimony, changes in Board makeup, and the Little
Skull Mountain earthquake. Chapter 2 details panel activities
and offers seven technical recommendations on the dangers of a
schedule-driven program; the need for top-level systems studies;
the impact of defense high-level waste; the use of high
capacity, self-shielded waste package designs; and the need for
prioritization among the numerous studies included in the
site-characterization plans. In Chapter 3, the Board offers
candid insights to the high-level waste management program in
five countries, specifically those areas that might be
applicable to the U.S. program, including program size and cost,
utility responsibilities, repository construction schedules, and
alternative approaches to licensing. Appendix F provides
background on the Finnish and Swiss programs.
Available as:
Fifth Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of
Energy.
June 1992.
The Boards fifth report focuses on the cross-cutting issue of
thermal loading. It explores thermal-loading strategies (U.S.
and others) and the technical issues and uncertainties related
to thermal loading. It also details the Boards position on the
implications of thermal loading for the U.S. radioactive waste
management system. Also included are updates on Board and panel
activities during the reporting period. The report offers
fifteen recommendations to the DOE on the following subjects:
ESF and repository design enhancements, repository sealing,
seismic vulnerabilities (vibratory ground motion and fault
displacement), the DOE approach to the engineered barrier
system, and transportation and systems program status.
Available as:
Fourth Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of
Energy.
December 1991.
The fourth report provides update on the Boards activities and
explores in depth the following areas: exploratory studies
facility (ESF) construction; test prioritization; rock
mechanics; tectonic features and processes; volcanism;
hydrogeology and geochemistry in the unsaturated zone; the
engineered barrier system; regulations promulgated by the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC), and the DOE; the DOE performance assessment
program; and quality assurance in the Yucca Mountain project.
Ten recommendations are made across these diverse subject areas.
Chapter 3 offers insights from the Boards visit with officials
from the Canadian nuclear power and spent fuel disposal
programs. Background on the Canadian program is in Appendix D.
Available as:
Third Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of
Energy.
May 1991.
The third report briefly describes recent Board activities and
congressional testimony. Substantive chapters cover exploratory
shaft facility alternatives, repository design, risk-benefit
analysis, waste package plans and funding, spent fuel corrosion
performance, transportation and systems, environmental program
concerns, more on the DOE task force studies on risk and
performance assessment, federal quality assurance requirements
for the repository program, and the measurement, modeling, and
application of radionuclide sorption data. Fifteen specific
recommendations are made to the DOE. Background information on
the German and Swedish nuclear waste disposal programs is
included in Appendix D.
Available as:
Second Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of
Energy.
November 1990.
The Boards second report begins with the background and
framework for repository development and then opens areas of
inquiry, making 20 specific recommendations concerning tectonic
features and processes, geoengineering considerations, the
engineered barrier system, transportation and systems,
environmental and public health issues, and risk and performance
analysis. The report also offers concluding perspectives on DOE
progress, the state of Nevadas role, the projects regulatory
framework, the nuclear waste negotiator, other oversight
agencies, and the Boards future plans.
Available as:
First Report to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Secretary of
Energy.
March 1990.
The first report sets the stage for the Boards evaluation of
the Department of Energys (DOE) program to manage the disposal
of the nations spent fuel and high-level waste. The report
outlines briefly the legislative history of the nations spent
fuel and high-level waste management program including its legal
and regulatory requirements. The Boards evolution is described,
along with its protocol, panel breakdown, and reporting
requirements. The report identifies major issues based on the
Boards panel breakdown, and highlights five cross-cutting
issues.
Available as:
*****************************************************************
51 AU ABC: Mining company expands NT uranium exploration.
14/07/2005. ABC News Online
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online">
Another mining company has announced it is expanding its uranium
exploration in the Northern Territory.
Batavia Mining says it is acquiring a substantial portfolio of
uranium interests in central Australia including the Harts Range
uranium project in the Arunta Province north-east of Alice
Springs.
Batavia's announcement comes despite the Northern Territory
Government's opposition to any new uranium mines.
Batavia says it is also applied for two exploration licenses
covering the Hale and Plenty River basins in central Australia.
Earlier this month another explorer, Deep Yellow, announced that
it had bought into uranium exploration rights near Alice
Springs.
NT Chief Minister Clare Martin says she will oppose the
development of any new uranium mines in the Territory.
But Batavia Mining says it is not affected by the Martin
Government's stance against new uranium mines.
Company director Neil Biddle says it would be many years before
there would be any mining in the areas they are exploring.
He says by then, advances in nuclear technology and a need for
alternative power may change the Territory Government's position.
"Particularly if the uranium industry can demonstrate that it's
able to generate clean power and they can resolve some of the
issues that they've had to confront, with getting rid of waste,"
Mr Biddle said.
"My understanding is that new generation nuclear power plants
are much more efficient in that regard.
"I guess the political problems arise when you're actually
trying to develop a mine, as I've said we're several million
dollars in investment and a few years away from that, so I guess
if your deposit's good enough and your case for developing it
good enough at the time than you deal with it on a political
level."
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52 KLTV: Texan measure to speed opening Nevada nuclear dump
7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX:
July 14, 2005
LAS VEGAS A Texas congressman says he'll sponsor a bill that
could speed the opening of a national nuclear waste repository in
Nevada.
U-S House Energy Committee Chairman Joe Barton told the Las Vegas
Sun that his measure could mandate a ten-thousand radiation
standard for the Yucca Mountain project.
Barton says he could include a plan for storing radioactive waste
at temporary storage sites while Yucca Mountain is being
developed.
He might also give the Energy Department more access to funds
outside spending constraints of its annual budget.Similar
proposals have drawn strong opposition from Nevada lawmakers --
who vow to again oppose Barton's plans.
The Yucca program has been slowed by budget shortfalls,
controversy about scientific research and a court ruling that
said the radiation standard should be set for a longer time.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All
Copyright 2001 - 2005 WorldNow and KLTV. All Rights Reserved.
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53 Pahrump Valley Times: Yucca lobbyists on way to Nye County
July 13, 2005
MEETINGS SLATED FOR JULY 27-29 DESIGNED TO BEGIN 'BUILDING TIES'
WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BY STEVE TETREAULT
PVT WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Leaders of a national lobbying group that formed
this spring to promote Yucca Mountain plan to visit Nye County
this month to begin building ties in Nevada, an organizer said.
Meetings tentatively set for July 27-29 in Pahrump illustrates
a growing relationship between rural Nevadans and interests that
support the proposed nuclear waste repository.
The Yucca Mountain Task Force was formed in April to revive
political support in Congress and in various states for the
Energy Department effort, which has been hit by delays.
The task force consists of state utility regulators and nuclear
industry executives, including the Nuclear Energy Institute
trade association.
Five task force members plan to meet with Nye County officials,
according to organizer David Blee. He is executive director of
the U.S. Transport Council, an organization of nuclear waste
shipping firms and equipment manufacturers that plan to seek
Yucca contracts.
The visitors also are scheduled to tour Yucca Mountain,
possibly to be joined by local government representatives,
according to Blee and a Nye County spokesman.
Blee said the purpose "is to open up a dialogue between the
task force and county leaders who have expressed support for the
project, in terms of a coalition."
Officials from neighboring Lincoln and Esmeralda counties also
might be invited, he said.
Nye County leaders welcomed the effort, according to Dave
Swanson, interim director of Nye County's nuclear waste
repository office. Two county commissioners, Candice Trummell
and Gary Hollis, probably will take part in the session, Swanson
said.
"The folks (Blee) would be bringing out here, it sounds like we
could learn something from them," Swanson said. "The more we can
learn about issues associated with the repository, pro or con,
the better we will be in our decision-making process."
State and Clark County leaders have adopted a hard-line stance
on Yucca Mountain, maintaining that a nuclear waste repository
would be flawed and unsafe. They argue that there is a good
chance the project can be killed in the courts or by the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.
While there is some Yucca Mountain opposition in rural Nevada,
there also are some county leaders who say that a nuclear waste
site might become a reality whether they like it or not, and
that they need to prepare for the possibility by recruiting jobs
and other economic benefits associated with the project.
"The attitude among folks is that the repository is probably
inevitable, and it seems that way," Swanson said from Nye
County, where Yucca Mountain is located.
"The Department of Energy is anxious to work with the county and
make it a success, and I truly believe that."
Bob Loux, coordinator of the state's official opposition to
Yucca Mountain, said local county officials "can talk to who
they want," but the visitors are selling a bad idea.
"They are trying to get the local governments pumped up on this
thing," said Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for
Nuclear Projects. "They are trying to show the project is not
dead, that it really is moving."
Despite Yucca Mountain support from some rural leaders," there
still is a good deal of opposition" in those counties, Loux said.
NEI already has a consultant in Nevada, former governor Robert
List. Additionally, Blee and other nuclear waste transportation
executives took part in a June 9 workshop in Pahrump before the
Central Nevada Community Protection Working Group, a forum for
rural leaders to work on repository issues.
webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com
Copyright Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2005
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54 Las Vegas SUN: New pro-Yucca group to lobby rural residents
Today: July 07, 2005 at 11:51:29 PDT
By Benjamin Grove
SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- A fledgling pro-Yucca Mountain group plans to
visit Nye County later this month to try to bolster support for
the repository project among rural Nevada residents.
The Yucca Mountain Task Force, formed in April to re-energize
support for the Energy Department program and lobby Congress on
Yucca budget issues, also aims to secure allies in Nye County.
Task force members plan an informal meeting on July 27 in
Pahrump with several county officials, with a scheduled trip to
Yucca Mountain the following day.
A number of Nye residents already support the plan to construct
a national high-level nuclear waste repository in their county.
County officials have said that if Yucca is inevitable they plan
to negotiate for federal benefits.
The task force, a coalition of state utility officials and
nuclear power industry groups led by the Nuclear Energy
Institute, wants to further open a dialogue with local
residents, said task force co-chairman Charles Pray, Maine's
state nuclear safety adviser and a former Maine state senator
and Energy Department official.
"My dealings in government have proven that it is always best
to be open and candid and to have a fair discussion about it,"
Pray said.
The task force wants to work with county leaders in their
efforts to win compensation for Yucca and to assure that the
repository meets all technical requirements and is safe, Pray
said.
The group does not intend to "force" Yucca Mountain on local
residents who do not support it, he said. He said he suspects
there are a number of Nye County residents who "quietly" support
Yucca, and others who oppose it but believe the county should
reap federal benefits if the project can't be stopped.
Most Nevada elected officials, including its five-member
congressional delegation and Gov. Kenny Guinn, are united in
opposition to Yucca.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said the
repository will never become a reality. The project for years
has been plagued by delays, budget shortfalls and controversy
over scientific studies at the site.
But Nye County officials would be "remiss in their duties" if
they did not negotiate with the federal government for financial
benefits and safety assurances, said David Swanson, interim
manager of Nye County's nuclear waste repository office. He said
industry officials from the task force group have unique insight
into nuclear waste issues, such as storage and shipping.
"What I'm hoping to do is glean as much information as we can
can from these folks," Swanson said.
Swanson said his personal skepticism about Yucca has faded in
the last two and a half years.
"I feel really comfortable with bringing the repository here,"
he said. "I feel it's more or less inevitable."
Task force members plan continued meetings with locals in Nye
County. Another task force organizer, David Blee, in his
capacity as director of the U.S. Transport Council, made a
presentation to the Central Nevada Community Protection Working
Group on June 9. The council is another pro-Yucca group, aimed
at educating the public about nuclear waste transportation.
All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
55 Platts: NRC judge: DOE's refusal to give draft LA to Nevada lacks merit
+ DOE's insistence that Nevada should not receive a copy of its
draft repository license application (LA) lacks merit, an NRC
administrative judge said today.
Judge Alan Rosenthal told DOE attorney Michael Shebelskie that he
didn't understand what the department could gain by withholding
the document from the state and that DOE's refusal to release it
would likely delay licensing.
Rosenthal's comment came during a hearing of a special NRC
licensing board panel today on a Nevada motion asking the board
to order DOE to release the draft LA. Nevada, which opposes DOE's
planned repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., wants the draft LA
given by waste program contractor Bechtel SAIC Co. to DOE last
July, so the state can begin work on contentions it will file
during licensing.
DOE's refusal to release the document now likely will produce
several applications for "substantial extensions" on the basis
that DOE had 20 years to file a document 10,000 pages long and
Nevada had only a few months to review it, Rosenthal said.
The three-judge panel gave no indication on when it might rule on
the Nevada motion.
Washington (Platts)--12Jul2005
Copyright 2005 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
[The McGraw-Hill Companies]
*****************************************************************
56 Tri-City Herald: Benton gets $1.3 million in energy deal
This story was published Wednesday, July 13th, 2005
By Chris Mulick, Herald Olympia bureau
OLYMPIA -- The $3.5 million the Bonneville Power Administration
paid the state to delay major demolition work at two never
finished nuclear power plants north of Richland is well on its
way to being spent.
The sale of 574 acres atop Badger Mountain closed last week,
putting the top of the ridge on the southwestern flank of the
Tri-Cities in the hands of Benton County to turn into a
preserve. Of the $685,000 purchase price, $485,000 was allocated
by the state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council out of
the nuclear site restoration money.
On Tuesday, the council agreed to begin negotiating matching
grants to environmental projects in Kittitas and Walla Walla
counties in moves that could commit as much as $1.7 million
more.
The remainder -- about $1.3 million -- would be left for new
projects in Benton County.
The money is being made available as part of a 2003 settlement
between Energy Northwest, DOE, the state and the Bonneville
Power Administration over the required site restoration of Plant
Nos. 1 and 4 at Hanford.
Energy Northwest, formerly the Washington Public Power Supply
System, never finished the plants and two others west of Olympia
as part of its failed nuclear construction campaign in the 1970s
and 1980s. The site certificates for the projects required the
sites be restored.
Though the Hanford plants have since been plugged up, the
two-year-old settlement allows major demolition work to be put
off until the 2026 through 2029 time frame. The agreement
stipulated that Bonneville, which backed the two defunct Hanford
plants, pay the state $3.5 million for various environmental
improvement projects. Of that, 51 percent must be spent in
Benton County.
With the Badger Mountain sale having closed, the county has
suggested eight or nine additional projects and the agency is
considering three or four of them.
"Some are better than others," agency Manager Allen Fiksdal said
after Tuesday's meeting.
Potential projects include acquiring land in the Amon Creek
basin and around the site of the Hanford Reach National Monument
Heritage &Visitor Center, both in Richland.
Wyn Birkenthal, Richland Parks and Recreation director, said
there's little problem drawing up a list of projects that would
soak up the $1.3 million.
But proposals need to be honed. The council expects proponents
to be able to demonstrate ample local support for their
projects.
"Essentially, we're waiting," Fiksdal said.
Among the criteria for projects adopted by the council Tuesday
are requirements that proponents obtain money from other
sources.
Another factor will be whether entities, such as state agencies,
would be willing to assume responsibility for land that is
bought up. Adam Fyall, Benton County's development coordinator,
said none of the additional projects that have been suggested
would have the county assume ownership as under the Badger
Mountain arrangement.
Outside Benton County, the council agreed Tuesday to issue a
letter of intent to begin negotiating a grant up to $400,000 for
a project to improve fish passage at Hofer Dam on the Touchet
River in Walla Walla County. Total project costs could hit $1.5
million.
The council also agreed to issue a second letter of intent to
discuss granting up to $1.3 million to acquire land deemed to be
critical habitat for big horn sheep, deer, steelhead, elk and
sage grouse in Kittitas County. In all, project proponents hope
to acquire some 17,500 acres in and around the site of a
proposed wind farm at a total cost of more than $7 million.
2005 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
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57 Idaho Statesman: INL wants to double its revenue revenue, increase research
07-13-2005
Success linked in part to collaboration with businesses
Additional Information
John J. Grossenbacher
Age: 56 years old
Education: Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, class of 1970;
earned master's degree from Johns Hopkins University; also
completed the Harvard University business school administration
program for management development.
Career: 33-year U.S. Navy career, retiring as a decorated vice
admiral. Former commander of naval submarine forces, with 25,000
military and civilian staff members and a $10 billion operating
budget; nominated to be chair of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission in 2003 but eventually withdrew his name after delays.
On his new job: Says he relishes the challenge of leading INL:
"I wanted to do something big."
Nan Connolly
The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 07-13-2005
The new head of the Idaho National Laboratory said he wants to
double revenue to $1 billion in the next 10 years and develop as
a premier nuclear energy research facility.
John J. Grossenbacher said Tuesday that the INL has immense
potential and could become an internationally recognized leader
in nuclear energy research.
"We aren't world leaders yet. We don't have a Nobel Prize
winner yet. But we have a terrific base here," said
Grossenbacher, the INL's laboratory director and president as of
February.
Grossenbacher outlined his goals for the lab's future in a
luncheon address to business leaders hosted by the Boise Metro
Chamber of Commerce.
The former U.S. Navy vice admiral has made several speeches
recently outlining his vision for the 890-square-mile complex in
southeastern Idaho, which he described as looking like a "small
nation" when viewed from the air.
Grossenbacher, a compact man with perfect posture and a
commanding deep voice, said the lab's future was tied to a new
focus on growth, research and collaboration with business and
other research institutions. He said that more contracts from
the federal energy department and potential collaboration with
businesses would increase revenue over the next decade.
"We want to turn that place upside down. We want people to say,
'How would we live without it?' " Grossenbacher said. He said
INL's chief mission is to become a "preeminent internationally
recognized nuclear energy research and development laboratory."
He added that the lab is also focused on national and homeland
security technology and is forging alliances with businesses,
universities and foreign researchers.
"The new contractor is here to stay. This isn't just another
contractor change," he said. The INL in February finalized a
realignment that broke apart the cleanup of old waste from the
research work of the lab into two entities.
Grossenbacher said that part of his new job in leading the INL
was shifting public opinion about nuclear energy. Misconceptions
about safety, in particular, abounded in the years after the
Three Mile Island incident and halted the growth of the nuclear
power industry while other nations moved forward, he said.
"In the U.S., 20 percent of our electrical energy is from
nuclear power; in France it is 80 percent," he said, pointing to
that nation as an example of safe nuclear power creation and use.
Grossenbacher urged his listeners to learn more about nuclear
energy and what he said were its benefits. "There are costs,
risks and benefits. We need the right energy portfolio, the
right balance," he added.
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58 PISJ: Journal Views: Idaho energy policy shouldn't hijack other resources
Pocatello Idaho State Journal:
Energy, by definition, is a vigorous display of power. In Idaho,
proponents for various types of energy production have recently
been vigorously asserting their own power - call it a growing
energy for energy.
Although Idaho Power Co. currently relies on hydroelectric dams
for more than 60 percent of its generation, the Gem State's
energy landscape is shifting.
A Bonneville County wind farm with 43 turbines is slated to
start operations by the end of the year, and others are in the
works. Though experts foresee wind producing no more than 3
percent of the state's energy needs, that could change if we get
serious about developing its potential. Also on the alternative
energy front, a group has announced its desire to set up a
bio-diesel canola plant in Power County.
In the background, legislators are helping the burgeoning
industries get a leg up, passing a bill last winter to eliminate
the state sales tax on purchases of alternative energy
generation equipment.
Perhaps the biggest development of all is the proposed coal
gasification facility at the former FMC site just outside of
Pocatello. The plant would generate 520 megawatts of energy with
construction possibly beginning as early as 2007.
Combine that with the ongoing research into hydrogen and nuclear
energy taking place at the Idaho National Laboratory and it
seems Idaho's current energy picture is a thriving, diverse one.
But the reality is that most of these technologies are
relatively unproven and even if they pan out, their output might
be only a fraction of the amount needed to power the state's
economy.
Consider the pluses and minuses. Solar and wind sources are
clean, but unreliable. Coal gasification offers a steadier
output, but consumes large quantities of water and emits small,
but not insignificant, amounts of pollutants. Dams hurt
traditional salmon runs and are hated by many recreationists.
Nuclear produces waste.
Idaho is hardly alone in its energy situation. In other Western
states like California, the need for juice is urgent and showing
no signs of slowing down, prompting energy speculators to throw
out new plans like candy.
That demand is one reason veteran Idaho Sen. Larry Craig
recently said, "Our largest frustration is we're in need of new
energy sources."
Craig, who like Rep. Mike Simpson is on a key national energy
committee, knows that a proposal by Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter to
study new dams on the Snake River likely won't make many
friends.
If the Gem State can become a viable player in the energy game,
Craig and others know there's plenty of money to be made. A
proposed utility line starting in Canada and snaking through
Montana, Idaho and Nevada on its way to California could be a
convenient way to tap into the surging market demand.
Yet while politicians and developers salivate, they know the
financial value of keeping large swaths of the state free of
power plants is hardly negligible. A sophisticated and diverse
energy portfolio is a good thing; so is a clean environment. We
need both.
This document was originally published online on Wednesday, July
13, 2005
Copyright 2005 Pocatello Idaho State Journal
P O Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204-0431
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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more
information go to:
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